CARB-X Announces $3.8m Award to Entasis Therapeutics
CARB-X portfolio grows to 19 early development projects aimed at treating drug-resistant bacterial infections and battling the growing global threat of drug-resistance.
CARB-X announced today an award worth $3.8 million to Entasis Therapeutics to accelerate the development of a new antibiotic class to treat serious drug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. The award commits funding of up to $3.8 million in an initial period, with the possibility of up to $6.3 million more based on the achievement of milestones.
“The addition of Entasis’ PBP inhibitor program to the CARB-X portfolio expands the rich diversity of our pipeline and reflects a novel approach against drug-resistant infections,” said Kevin Outterson, professor of law at BU Law and executive director of CARB-X. “The Powered by CARB-X portfolio now has 19 projects including the Entasis project. These projects are in the early stages of research, and there is always a high risk of failure. But if successful, they hold exciting potential in the fight against the deadliest drug-resistant bacteria.”
Entasis’ PBP inhibitor project, which is currently in lead optimization, is a novel antibiotic class targeting the penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), cell wall targets unique to bacteria. Unlike beta-lactam antibiotics, which also kill bacteria by binding to PBPs, Entasis’ PBP inhibitors stand out because they are unaffected by all four classes of beta-lactamases, while demonstrating potent antibacterial activity. This is the second award for Entasis, a Waltham, MA-based Biotech. The first award was announced in March 2017 for ETX0282CPDP, Entasis’ oral beta-lactamase inhibitor in combination with cefpodoxime targeting Enterobacteriaceae infections.
“We are delighted to partner with CARB-X for a second time and look forward to working with the CARB-X team on our novel PBP inhibitor program,” said Manos Perros, CEO of Entasis. “As antibiotic resistance continues to rise, it is crucial to identify new classes of effective, well tolerated agents with activity against multi-drug resistant infections. With CARB-X’s valuable support, we hope to address this need through the development of our growing portfolio of investigational antibiotics, including our new PBP inhibitor program.”
CARB-X’s portfolio is the world’s largest and most scientifically diverse portfolio of early development antibiotics and rapid diagnostics to treat the most serious drug-resistant bacterial infections, often referred to as superbugs. CARB-X, which stands for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator, was launched in July 2016. It currently funds projects in six countries and is working to expand its pipeline with the best science from around the world.
Drug-resistant infections currently cause an estimated 700,000 deaths worldwide annually, according to the World Health Organization. If antibiotic resistance continues at its current rate, that number could rise significantly. In the US alone, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 23,000 people die each year from drug-resistant bacterial infections, many of which occur in hospitals and health care settings.
CARB-X is a partnership between the UK charity Wellcome Trust and the US Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CARB-X is actively seeking global support from other governments, industry and civil society to expand its ability to fund the best science around the world to get the new life-saving treatments so urgently needed.
BARDA’s Director Rick Bright, PhD, said:“The support announced today will help speed development of a new antibacterial product with the potential to treat patients with life-threatening infections. Antibiotic resistant infections not only pose a day-to-day public health concern but also complicate our response to national security threats, which is why at BARDA we working to revitalize the antibacterial pipeline. Today’s announcement is another example of our commitment to promote and accelerate medical countermeasure innovation through novel public-private partnerships like CARB-X.”
Tim Jinks, head of Drug-Resistant Infections at Wellcome Trust, said:“Antibiotics are fundamental to modern medicine but overuse and inappropriate use have led to dangerous bacteria developing deadly resistance. Wellcome is committed to helping ensure we get urgently needed new treatments to tackle this urgent global health threat. Drug discovery must also go hand-in-hand with concerted action to ensure antibiotics are used responsibly and that existing and new treatments are made available in all countries for those who need them.”
The Entasis project was selected from among 202 applications received from companies around the world in CARB-X’s most recent round of funding.
The funding is part of an overall commitment of up to US$455m by the US government and Wellcome Trust over a five-year period from 2016 to 2021. So far this year, including the Entasis award, CARB-X has announced $44.9 million to help fund 19 projects plus an additional $58.6 million if project milestones are met. These funds are in addition to the companies’ own investments in their programs. Responsible use of existing antibiotics and equitable access, particularly in low-income countries where need is greatest, are also vital to address the global health problem. Both are conditions of CARB-X funding.
CARB-X’s role is to identify and fund promising early research in antibiotics, vaccines, rapid diagnostics, devices and alternative approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat the most serious drug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Projects funded by CARB-X receive non-dilutive funding as well as drug development and business support services. It is in the early phases of research that most projects are abandoned often because of lack of funding. The goal is to progress these Powered by CARB-X projects to a stage where they may attract additional private or public support for clinical development.
The last new class of antibiotics approved for treatment against Gram-negative bacteria was discovered in 1962. Antibiotic discovery is challenging because bacteria are able to genetically modify and become resistant to medicines. As well, large pharmaceutical companies have significantly scaled back investment in antibiotic research in the past decades because it has not been sufficiently profitable.
CARB-X expects to make further funding announcements later this year.
Related News
- CARB-X Announces Funding for Scientists Racing to Discover New Antibiotics
- CARB-X Injects Up to $48 Million to Accelerate First Powered By CARB-X Portfolio
- BU Law Students, Alumni Shape the Future of Antibiotic Development