PTC Therapeutics has received a $5 million Seeding Drug Discovery award from UK charity Wellcome Trust to support the development of small-molecule drugs to battle life-threatening infections caused by multi-drug-resistant, Gram-negative bacteria.
The South Plainfield, New Jersey-based drug development company’s anti-infective program is “currently in lead optimization and advancing toward identifying a development candidate,” according to a press statement.
There is a pressing demand for new antibiotics in line with the increased pervasiveness of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics currently available, particularly in hospital settings.
Of the 1.7 million hospital-acquired bacterial infections that cause or contribute to nearly 100,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gram-negative bacteria are responsible for more than 30 percent, according to the statement. A significant concern with Gram-negative bacteria is there are limited effective treatment options available.
The drug development award this month follows the $5.4 million award received last year to support its BMI1 oncology program.
Last month, PTC entered a licensing agreement with Swiss Big Pharma company Roche and the SMA Foundation to develop treatment for spinal muscular atrophy. Under the agreement, Roche gains exclusive worldwide license to PTC’s SMA program that includes three compounds currently in preclinical development, as well as potential backup compounds in a deal valued at up to $490 million.
