Allschwil, Switzerland, January 23, 2018

Polyphor: Global No. 2 in the 2018 Biopharmaceuticals Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark published by the Access to Medicine Foundation
 

PolyphorPolyphor has been selected by the Access to Medicine Foundation as one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies in the area of research and development against antimicrobial resistance, as published today in the first Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark at the 2018 World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

The new antimicrobial resistant benchmark, funded by UK AID and the Dutch Ministry of Health and developed by the Foundation’s research team in consultation with a wide range of stakeholders and experts, has assessed the extent as to how pharmaceutical companies are addressing antimicrobial resistance. Among the twelve biopharmaceutical companies with priority R&D projects benchmarked in the report, Polyphor reached the second place when comparing companies by points earned.

Today, the World Health Organization considers the increasing antibacterial resistance as one of the biggest threats to global health. Antibacterial resistance has been estimated to be responsible for some 700,000 deaths globally each year. In some hospitals, the incidence of multi-drug resistant infections reaches 30% and more. The scientific and medical communities as well as health authorities around the globe are alarmed by this situation and acknowledge the need for new antibiotics with a novel mechanism of action to overcome resistance to standard therapies.

“We are honored to be selected by the Access to Medicine Foundation as one of the leading biopharmaceutical companies in their first Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark,” said Giacomo Di Nepi, Chief Executive Officer of Polyphor. “Antibiotics’ resistance is a major challenge to public health. Our novel antibiotics, the OMPTA, are the first new class medicines against gram-negative pathogens in 50 years. We are committed to rapidly progress this class, and its lead phase III product candidate, Murepavadin, to tackle the dangerous rise in antimicrobial resistances.”

Polyphor has discovered a new class of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria with a novel mode of action, the Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotics (OMPTA). The most advanced drug candidate of this new class is Murepavadin (POL7080), a highly potent antibiotic also active against multi-drug resistant strains, which is entering the Phase III clinical program for the treatment of patients with nosocomial pneumonia caused by infections through Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the most difficult to treat pathogens. The next generation of OMPTAs are in pre-clinical testing and are medium,-spectrum antibiotics which target most important Gram-negative pathogens, including extensively drug-resistant and multidrug-resistant strains.

Contact:
Helmut Kessmann
Head of Business Development
Polyphor Ltd.
Tel: +41 61 567 16 00
Email : PR@polyphor.com

About Polyphor:
Polyphor is a clinical stage, privately held Swiss specialty pharma company based in Allschwil near Basel. It focuses on the development of macrocycle drugs that address antibiotic resistance other specialty diseases.Our lead drug candidates are:

- Murepavadin (POL7080) - Phase III

A precision Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotic (OMPTA) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

- Balixafortide (POL6326) - Phase I/II

A CXCR4 antagonist for combination treatment in metastatic breast cancer and potentially other tumors – a new approach to immuno-oncology

- POL6014 - Phase Ib
An inhaled inhibitor of neutrophil elastase for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis and other severe lung diseases
 

First new class of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria
Polyphor has discovered the Outer Membrane Protein Targeting Antibiotics (OMPTA) class and is further developing it, including, besides Murepavadin, a medium-spectrum preclinical candidate to address infections caused by difficult-to-treat, resistant Gram-negative pathogens – one of the most pressing emerging medical needs. The OMPTA represent the first new class of antibiotics against Gram-negative bacteria reaching advanced clinical stage in the last 50 years.

For more information about Polyphor, please visit: www.polyphor.com