British Biotech Takes Two Discovery Steps Forward
A first in class product is expected in the clinic by the end of this year following today’s announcement by British Biotech that it is teaming up with GeneSoft Inc to discover and develop novel anti-infective drugs, based on its proprietary bacterial metalloenzyme inhibitors.
Combining British Biotech’s novel targets, chemistry and clinical development with GeneSoft’s experience in antibiotic lead optimisation and clinical expertise, the collaboration will cover development and marketing of BB-83698, British Biotech’s lead peptide deformylase (PDF) inhibitor and advance their other microbial metalloenzyme targets.
GeneSoft will pay British Biotech of US$4 million now and a further US$1 million plus equity representing 3.45 per cent of GeneSoft, on commencement of a Phase I study. “GeneSoft specialises in antibiotic drug discovery and development and brings a wealth of clinical and scientific expertise in this field,” said British Biotech Chief Executive, Dr Elliot Goldstein.
Gary Patou, GeneSoft’s President, commented, “The medical community desperately needs new mechanism of action antibiotics to combat multidrug resistant bacteria.”
Biotech analyst at ABN Amro, Adrian Howd says, “The company has said that it wants to increase critical mass so this is a positive announcement for British Biotech and it shows they can do deals outside their traditional oncology area.”
BB-83698 represents a new class of antibiotic and is targeted at hospitalised patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Bacterial genomes contain a number of metalloenzymes, several of which are believed to be essential to survival, and bacterial polypeptide deformylase is now widely recognised as an attractive target for antibacterial chemotherapy (Giglione et al, 2001 Molecular Microbiology, vol 36, 1197-205).
Deformylation is a crucial step in bacterial protein biosynthesis and the PDF enzyme is essential for bacterial growth, with the gene encoding PDF (def) found to be present in all sequenced pathogenic bacterial genomes.
This week British Biotech also announced that patient treatment has begun in the planned, second Phase I study of BB-10901, a novel anti-cancer agent targeted at small cell lung cancer. This drug uses a humanised monoclonal antibody to deliver a highly potent chemotherapeutic agent specifically to the site of the tumour.
The studies are taking place in the UK and should complete by mid-2003. British Biotech acquired rights to develop and commercialise BB-10901 for Europe and Japan from ImmunoGen Inc in 2000. The US company retains US and rest of the world commercialisation rights.
www.genesoft.com
www.immunogen.com
www.britishbiotech.com
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