Juvabis' fight against antimicrobial resistance continues in first in-human clinical trials

Founded in 2015 in Zurich, Juvabis is focused on designing next-generation aminoglycoside antibiotics that will fight against antimicrobial resistance. Its lead candidate Apramycin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic that was discovered through UZH’s proprietary technology platform of engineered ribosomes and was developed in collaboration with the ENABLE consortium, a public-private partnership funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI).

Extensive preclinical profiling has demonstrated the efficacy of apramycin against a variety of WHO priority pathogens including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and Acinetobacter baumannii. Apramycin has also been proven effective against aminoglycoside resistant pathogens, a feature that distinguishes apramycin from all other aminoglycosides currently approved for the treatment of Gram-negative systemic infections.

Juvabis lead molecule entered now launched a Phase I First-in-Human study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of apramycin. Recruitment in the study is underway, and enrolment is expected to be completed by Q1 2020. After successful completion of Phase I clinical studies, apramycin will be further developed for the treatment of critical and complicated systemic infections for which there is a high medical need worldwide.

Sven Hobbie, CEO of Juvabis, said: “Initiation of this study is an important step in our efforts to fight antimicrobial resistance. We are excited about the results of the preclinical profiling, which highlight apramycin’s potential to become a best-in-class aminoglycoside antibiotic.”

(Press release/ran)