Agreement includes research collaboration and IP license with Austrian scientists.
NovaBay Pharmaceuticals is collaborating with two researchers from the Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria to bolster development of one of its antimicrobial programs. Additionally, the company obtained an exclusive license to a portfolio of intellectual property covering uses of these compounds.
The agreement will advance the development of NovaBay’s preclinical Aganocide compounds, which are synthetic analogs of N-chlorotaurine (NCT), a natural antimicrobial produced by the body’s white blood cells. Markus Nagl, M.D., and Waldemar Gottardi, Ph.D., of the Medical University of Innsbruck have conducted clinical research for many years on the use of NCT.
Under the terms of the agreement, NovaBay will fund ongoing research in the laboratories of Drs. Gottardi and Nagl. The firm will have access to past and future data generated in clinical trials, which includes indications that overlap with and even go beyond those for which NovaBay’s Aganocide compounds are currently being developed.
For instance, Drs. Gottardi and Nagl have reportedly published successful results of a Phase II trial in ear infections using NCT. NovaBay expects Alcon, its licensee for the use of Aganocide compounds in the treatment of eye, ear, and sinus infections, to start clinical studies in the ear this year.
Also, the IP license deal augments NovaBay’s composition of matter patent for Aganocide compounds. Patents included cover potential uses including utility of NCT compounds in pulmonary diseases and in major animal health markets such as mastititis.
NovaBay has an agreement with Galderma to develop and commercialize Aganocides in acne, impetigo, and other dermatological indications.
