Sanofi-Aventis and Novozymes have signed a development and marketing collaboration for a potential new antibiotic. The drug candidate is an antimicrobial peptide named Plectasin NZ2114 that targets the treatment of severe infections, such as pneumonia and septicaemia, caused by bacteria like Staphylococcus and Streptococcus.

SA has been granted an exclusive worldwide license for the development, registration and commercialization of the drug. The two companies will  work to develop and implement commercial-scale manufacturing of the drug substance, with the goal of introducing a recombinant process building on Novozymes' proprietary expression technology.

"Plectasin NZ2114 is the first drug candidate that Novozymes has outlicensed for further preclinical and clinical development. Teaming up with one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world is the type of collaborations we were looking for," said Per Falholt, executive vice president, R&D, Novozymes.

"The innovative mechanism of action of Plectasin NZ2114 makes it potentially active against bacteria resistant to currently available treatments. We are looking forward to developing Plectasin NZ2114 for the treatment of severe infections such as pneumonia, septicaemia, and complicated skin and soft tissue infections," said Dr. Marc Cluzel, senior vice president, R&D, Sanofi-Aventis.

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