SAN DIEGO, Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Trius Therapeutics and Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Korean stock code: 000640) today announced that they have entered into a license agreement on a novel series of oxazolidinone-class antibacterial compounds. Under the agreement, Trius has acquired exclusive worldwide rights, outside of Korea, to develop, manufacture and market these agents. Trius plans to start Phase I trials with the lead compound, TR-701 (also known as DA-7218) in the U.S. later this year.
“We are very pleased to add these potent oxazolidinone compounds to our existing Trius antibiotic pipeline,” said Jeffrey Stein, Ph.D., President and CEO of Trius Therapeutics. “Dong-A’s impressive preclinical data package on TR-701 indicates that this drug candidate can be developed as a ‘best in class’ oral and intravenous antibiotic for the treatment of patients with serious bacterial infections.”
“We found in Trius Therapeutics an ideal partner to develop our lead program outside of Korea,” said Dr. Won Bae Kim, President & CEO of Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. “Their focus and experience in antibacterial drug discovery and development, coupled with their strong financial backing, will help insure that TR-701/DA-7218 is advanced through clinical development.”
About Trius Therapeutics
Trius Therapeutics is discovering and developing innovative antibacterial drugs for the treatment of life-threatening infections. The company’s lead product candidate, TR-701 is a novel oral and IV oxazolidinone antibiotic with potent activity against Gram positive bacterial pathogens. Trius’ pipeline includes three additional structure-based drug design programs directed against novel antibacterial targets. The most advanced program has reached animal efficacy testing. For more information, visit http://www.triusrx.com.
About Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., founded in 1932, is the largest drug company in Korea. It is listed on the Korean stock exchange. For more information, visit http://www.donga-pharm.com.
Trius Therapeutics
CONTACT: John Schmid, Chief Financial Officer of Trius Therapeutics,+1-858-452-0370, ext. 105, jschmid@triusrx.com; or Chan Won Oh, GeneralManager of Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., 82-2-920-8220, ocw@donga.co.kr
