Anacor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ANAC) announced today that its partner, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), has been awarded a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support the ongoing development of GSK2251052 (GSK '052, formerly AN3665), a novel boron-based Gram-negative systemic antibiotic discovered by Anacor.
The contract provides up to $94 million in funding for up to four years to support studies to evaluate the efficacy of GSK '052 against bioterrorism threats, Phase 2 clinical trials for ventilator-associated pneumonia, and Phase 3 trials for complicated intra-abdominal infections.
"BARDA's financial support for the development of GSK '052 will help ensure the rapid development of this compound toward its approval in all relevant indications," said David Perry, Anacor's Chief Executive Officer. "With its novel mechanism of action, and potential to be administered both orally and intravenously, we believe GSK '052 has the potential to improve the lives of patients suffering from Gram-negative bacterial infections which have grown increasingly resistant to existing antibiotics."
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