Boston Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical firm, has signed a licensing and equity agreement with Switzerland-based Novartis.

It was reported yesterday that the contract has been signed for the global rights to three of Novartis's anti-infective candidates for the potential treatment of Gram-negative infections.

Under the terms of the deal, the company purchased global rights to two complementary candidates targeting carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae (CRE) and one candidate targeting Pseudomonas. The anti-infective drug candidates are part of the Novartis infectious diseases portfolio, which have potential to address the requirement of new agents for the treatment of antibiotic resistant Gram-negative infections.

The candidates covered by the deal are LYS228 monobactam, IID572 beta-lactamase inhibitor and MAK181 oral LpxC inhibitor for Pseudomonas infections. The LYS228 monobactam has entered inti phase 2 clinical development. It showed activity against CRE with resistance caused by serine beta-lactamases (SBLs) and/or metallo beta-lactamases (MBLs). The IID572 is a beta-lactamase inhibitor, which can be used in combination with LYS228 or other beta-lactam antibiotics to expand their use against difficult-to-treat infections caused by a broader spectrum of CRE.