- Additional funding awarded following successful drug candidate nomination
- USD 7.3 million to support progression of antibiotic BAL2420 (LptA inhibitor) towards first-in-human clinical studies
Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR
Allschwil, Switzerland, December 23, 2024
Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil (SIX: BSLN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to meeting the needs of patients with severe bacterial and fungal infections, announced today that it was awarded an additional USD 7.3 million from CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator), a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting the early development of antibacterial products. The new funding supports the progression of Basilea’s novel antibiotic candidate BAL2420 (LptA inhibitor) towards the start of first-in-human clinical studies, which is expected mid-2026.
Dr. Laurenz Kellenberger, Chief Scientific Officer of Basilea, said: “We are very pleased by CARB-X’s continued support for the development of this promising first-in-class drug candidate. LptA inhibitors have the potential to address an unmet medical need in the hospital-based treatment of severe infections, caused by Gram-negative bacteria. We look forward to working with CARB-X to bring BAL2420 to patients.”
BAL2420 belongs to one of the very few novel classes of antibiotics in development. It is targeting LptA, which is part of the lipopolysaccharide transport bridge, an essential structure in Gram-negative bacteria. LptA inhibitors have shown potent and rapid bactericidal activity in vitro and in vivo against Gram-negative bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family, such as E. coli and K. pneumoniae, including strains resistant to beta-lactams and colistin, an antibiotic regarded as last-resort therapy.1 Enterobacteriaceae have been highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO) as priority pathogens, against which new antibiotics are urgently needed.2
Basilea has acquired the LptA antibiotics program from Spexis AG in early 2024. In April this year, Basilea announced that it was awarded an initial CARB-X grant of up to USD 0.9 million to support early preclinical activities. The successful completion of these activities resulted in the nomination of BAL2420 as a drug candidate and also led to a final milestone payment from Basilea to Spexis.
CARB-X’s funding for this project is provided in part with federal funds from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; Antibacterials branch; under agreement number 75A50122C00028; and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842) and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of CARB-X or any of its funders.
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