Merck, Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute to develop two tuberculosis antibiotics

Through a new licensing agreement between Merck and the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, two preclinical antibacterial candidates will be developed and evaluated for potential use in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB).

“Tuberculosis is one of the world’s most significant infectious causes of human disease and death,” said Dr. Emilio Emini, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute. “The development of novel therapies to simplify and more effectively treat TB has been a long-standing goal of scientific and medical research. The two novel compounds discovered by Merck scientists, and now licensed to the Gates MRI for further development and distribution, may represent potentially important constituents of future TB therapeutic regimens.”

Merck originally discovered the candidates through its TB Drug Accelerator – a collaboration between biopharmaceutical companies, research organizations, and universities to develop products for use against TB. Under the new agreement, Merck gave the Gates institute an exclusive global license for MK-7762 and MK-3854. The institute will use that license to conduct non-clinical and clinical studies of the candidates to determine their potential for new, combination treatment regimens of TB.

The end goal is not just to create new drugs but to shorten the duration of treatment required by current TB antibiotics. Both drug candidates, in this case, have demonstrated antibacterial capabilities against the organism that causes TB, including some strains resistant to current drugs.

“At Merck, we have a proud legacy of addressing some of the world’s most challenging infectious diseases,” said Dr. Dean Y. Li, president of Merck Research Laboratories. “With the expertise and capabilities of the Gates MRI, MK-7762 and MK-3854 are positioned for rigorous evaluation of their potential as components of novel TB treatment regimens.”