Dublin-based Allergan has entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca to develop and commercialize a fixed-dose antibiotic formulation currently in Phase II study. The financial terms of the agreement were not detailed, though Allergan will maintain rights to commercialization in the U.S. and Canada while AstraZeneca will hold commercialization rights in all other global markets.

This compound, ATM-AVI, is a combination of aztreonam and avibactam and has thus far been used to treat infection by drug-resistant, MBL-producing metallo-β-lactamase pathogens—a sub-type of Enterobacteriaceae. The drug is also being considered as treatment for other rod-shaped Gram-negative microbes such as Yersinia pestis and Burkholderia.

The collaboration announcement follows the strategic alliance struck in September between AstraZeneca and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). In that agreement BARDA proffered $50 million for drug discovery with a potential $170 million on offer for a five-year development initiative to build a portfolio of drug candidates with potential to treat illnesses caused by bioterrorism agents and antibiotic-resistant infections. ATM-AVI is one of those compounds.

In Europe the compound is being supported in Phase II development by the EU’s Innovation Medicines Initiative, which has also agreed to support AstraZeneca’s development process going into the Phase III research required for regulatory approval.

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