Rib-X and NIAID collaborate to develop an antibiotic treatment for N. gonorrhoeae

Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel drugs for the treatment of multi-antibiotic resistant infections, today announced that it intends to enter into a Clinical Trials Agreement with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of this agreement is to advance the clinical development of an oral formulation of Rib-X's novel fluoroquinolone delafloxacin, in the treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

N. gonorrhoeae, a gram-negative bacteria, is the cause of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea which affects more than 700,000 people in the United States annually. Currently, N. gonorrhoeae has become resistant to a number of antibiotics, including penicillin and other quinolones. Delafloxacin is a next-generation fluoroquinolone that has been shown to be very active against gram-positive organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and a broad range of gram-negatives. In addition to work under this agreement, Rib-X is preparing to progress delafloxacin to Phase 3 clinical trials for multiple indications.

This agreement with the NIAID will further support the broad clinical potential for our lead compound, delafloxacin, which has already demonstrated potent activity against a variety of resistant bacteria and has successfully completed three Phase 2 trials," said Susan Froshauer, PhD, President and CEO of Rib-X Pharmaceuticals. "In recent years, gonococcal infections have become increasingly resistant to available antibiotic treatments and we look forward to collaborating with the team at NIAID in the coming months to evaluate possible alternative therapeutic options for such infections."