Debiopharm Group to Acquire Affinium Antibiotic Clinical Assets

Debiopharm Group, a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical company developing prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, has reported that it will acquire the clinical and preclinica assets and technology platform of Affinium Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian company focusing on the development of a platform of new, targeted narrow-spectrum antibacterial therapeutics.

The clinical assets include AFN-1252, a FabI inhibitor designated by FDA as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product, which has successfully completed a Phase IIa study for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, and its prodrug AFN-1720, currently in Phase I clinical development. Both compounds are highly potent agents that are selectively active against all staphylococcus species and strains tested thus far (5400 strains) including all known resistant strains such as, methicillin-resistant S. aureus and vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus.

In clinical trials, AFN-1252 has demonstrated an efficacy, safety and tolerability profile in over 250 subjects. The possibility to treat staphylococcal infections with a molecule that allows for an intravenous-oral switch will be a major advance to address difficult-to-treat infections. Debiopharm will use its knowledge in molecular diagnostics to develop a diagnostic test that will more easily identify staphylococcus-infected patients, which will help increase the success of treatment, according to the company.