GARDP commits $20 million for Bugworks’ innovative compound to fight MDR bacteria 

Swiss NGO GARDP will provide up to $20 million in technical and financial support to Bugworks Research Inc. for developing medicines against multidrug-resistant bacteria that cause life-threatening infections.

Swiss not-for-profit organisation Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) will provide up to $20 million in technical and financial support for an innovative compound with broad-spectrum antibiotic activity biopharma firm Bugworks Research Inc. is developing against multidrug-resistant bacteria that cause life-threatening infections.

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The firm, in return, has granted manufacturing and commercialisation rights for BWC0977, the compound, in as many as 146 countries, almost all of which are low- or middle-income (LMICs), GARDP said, announcing a collaboration agreement with the firm for co-developing the product.

“We are excited to work with Bugworks to make key investments at this critical stage in the development of compound BWC0977,” GARDP Executive Director Manica Balasegaram said. “Many compounds in the antibiotic pipeline lack innovative characteristics and fail to target priority pathogens. In contrast, BWC0977 stands out for sits novelty and potential to address unmet public health needs,” he said in a release.

The technical and financial support is tied to the successful completion of key research and development milestones. Initially, GARDP will bring expertise and financial support for critical aspects of BWC0977’s pharmaceutical development, including product formulation. Subsequent investments will support clinical development and chemistry, manufacturing and control activities to ensure the final product is suitable for use in diverse countries and contexts, including low-resource settings.

BWC0977 has in vitro activity against a broad spectrum of pathogens that lead to serious hospital-acquired infections like pneumonia, bloodstream infections and complicated urinary tract infections. Among these pathogens are WHO critical priority pathogens, carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae, for which few treatment options exist.

“Bugworks is delighted to partner with GARDP to advance compound BWC0977 through clinical development to treat a variety of drug-resistant bacterial infections,” Anand Anandkumar, the company’s co-founder and CEO, said. Enabling access to the compound simultaneously in Western countries and in LMICs with high AMR burden is an overarching goal of the partnership, he said.