GSK announces partnership to develop new antibacterials

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced the formation of a partnership with the Wellcome Trust with the aim of developing a new type of antibacterial agent to tackle the increased prevalence of drug-resistant hospital-acquired infections, such as those that result in pneumonia.

The Wellcome Trust has granted four million pounds to GSK through its seeding drug discovery initiative, with these funds intended to be used to speed up the development of treatments for increasingly antibacterial-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

GSK will make a similar contribution of its own in staff, costs and equipment, while the Wellcome Trust will receive a financial interest in any treatment developed through the partnership.

Dr Ted Bianco, director of technology transfer at the Wellcome Trust, said: “Our ability to tackle drug-resistant infections is reaching crisis level with few new antimicrobial agents on the horizon.”

He added that the high cost of developing antibacterial therapy, in addition to their sometimes being held in reserve, can make it hard for pharmaceutical firms to recoup their research and development expenditure in this area, prompting the trust’s support for such efforts.

Last month, GSK announced the appointment of Zhi Hong to its recently-established infectious diseases research unit – the Diseases Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery.