MECHELEN, BELGIUM--(Marketwire - November 26, 2012) - First candidate antibiotic is effective
against all tested MRSA strains
· May offer treatment against multiple drug-resistant
infections
· Proprietary to Galapagos, based on novel target DNA
pol III
alpha (DnaE)
· Clinical development of first antibiotic initiated
Galapagos NV (Euronext: GLPG) announced
today that it has discovered an entirely new class of antibiotics. The
Company
has selected a candidate drug that shows strong activity against all tested
drug
resistant Staphylococcus aureus, including hospital and community acquired
MRSA
strains.
Bacterial infections that have become resistant to all existing antibiotics
pose
a pressing healthcare problem because treatment options for patients become
very
limited. MRSA is the best known example: a potentially life-threatening
infection that occurs most frequently among patients in hospitals. The
novel
Galapagos candidate antibiotic shows strong activity against all tested
drug
resistant bacteria.
This newly discovered antibiotic works by inhibiting the target DNA pol III
alpha, an enzyme present in all bacteria and essential for their growth;
this
target is absent in humans. The novel mode of action - inhibition of DNA
pol
III alpha - may be used to explore a variety of novel antibiotics,
targeting
bacteria for which resistance to current antibiotics has emerged.
Using this novel target, Galapagos has selected a first candidate
antibiotic,
CAM-1, to enter drug development. CAM-1 was tested against more than
250
different bacterial strains and effectively killed 100% of all drug
resistant
Staph. aureus, including MRSA. CAM-1 shows better efficacy than
standard
antibiotics, as shown by in vivo bacterial infection models. Galapagos
aims to
enter the clinic in the first quarter 2014, with a Proof of Concept
study
thereafter. This novel antibiotic program, including all compounds
targeting
MRSA, is fully proprietary to Galapagos.
"Selection of a candidate antibiotic in our MRSA development program
is an
important step toward realizing the full potential of our unique anti-
bacterial
program," said Dr Piet Wigerinck, Chief Scientific Officer of Galapagos.
"Our
antibiotics have a novel mode of action which brings all tested MRSA
strains to
a complete halt. Combined with a diagnostic test, these compounds could
bring a
real solution to MRSA infections."
About MRSA
Drug resistant infections including MRSA (Methicillin Resistant
Staphylococcus
aureus) occur most frequently among patients in healthcare settings.
Globally,
MRSA treatment with antibiotics generates an estimated $4 billion in
annual
revenues[1]. Development of new treatments within existing
classes of
antibiotics is complicated by the short timeframe in which resistance
to the
antibiotic emerges. Regulators encourage development of narrow
spectrum
antibiotics in order to address this dilemma. Current advancements in
rapid
diagnostic tests to identify the bacterial strain responsible for the
infection
provide an opportunity for the development of targeted, narrow
spectrum
antibiotics.
About Galapagos
Galapagos (Euronext: GLPG; OTC: GLPYY) is a mid-size clinical
stage
biotechnology company specialized in the discovery and development of
small
molecule and antibody therapies with novel modes-of-action. The
company is
progressing its JAK1 inhibitor GLPG0634, as well as one of the largest
pipelines
in biotech, with four programs in development and over 30 discovery
programs.
The Galapagos Group has over 800 employees and operates facilities
in six
countries, with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium. More
info at:
www.glpg.com
This release may contain forward-looking statements, including,
without
limitation, statements containing the words "believes,"
"anticipates,"
"expects," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "estimates," "may," "will,"
"could,"
"stands to," and "continues," as well as similar expressions. Such
forward-
looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and
other
factors which might cause the actual results, financial condition,
performance
or achievements of Galapagos, or industry results, to be materially
different
from any historic or future results, financial conditions,
performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Given
these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue
reliance on
such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak
only as
of the date of publication of this document. Galapagos expressly
disclaims any
obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this
document to
reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any
change in
events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based,
unless
required by law or regulation.
------------------------------------------------
[1]"MRSA Drug Futures,"Epsicom, Sept. 2010
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Source: Galapagos NV via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1660431]
