Researchers from Contrafect Corp. have reported on the bactericidal activity of CF-370, a novel engineered lysin with broad-spectrum activity against gram-negative organisms, which are usually more resistant to antibacterial agents than gram-positive bacteria.
Contrafect Corp. has submitted an IND application to the FDA for its intravenous antibacterial agent, CF-370, for treatment of hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia.
The data safety monitoring board overseeing Contrafect Corp.’s phase III study of exebacase, a hydrolase stimulator for treating Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, recommended the study be stopped. In an interim analysis, the board said the conditional power of the study was below the prespecified threshold for futility.
The biotech industry in Asia is a promising market, but it still has a long way to go to narrow the gap between Asian and Western markets, according to speakers on day two of the BIO Asia-Taiwan Conference 2021.
The public attention that COVID-19 has received has spilled over to antibiotics companies, and the BioWorld Infectious Diseases index has grown 14% in value since the beginning of the year.
The warning bells about the global threat of the rise of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections and dearth of new antibiotics seem to have been ringing for several years now. However, the prospects of companies developing new antibiotics, buoyed by regulatory incentives and grant funding, should on the face of it be an attractive proposition for investors.
There has been a flurry of news flowing from companies developing new antibiotics during the month and the BioWorld Infectious Diseases index, after languishing for the past several months, is tracking up 5% for October. The activity comes against the backdrop of the completion of the AMR Challenge.
After its momentum-building end-of-phase II meeting with the FDA, Contrafect Corp. will start a single phase III trial of exebacase to treat Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia before year-end.