HHS sponsors new broad spectrum antibiotic treatment against tularemia

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Wednesday that it is sponsoring a new broad spectrum antibiotic that could become the first of its kind to treat specific Gram-negative and Gram-positive infections.

The broad spectrum antibiotic is being looked at as a treatment for tularemia, a bioterrorism threat, and will undergo the last steps in development with support from the HHS office of the assistant secretary for preparedness and response (ASPR).

The sponsorship covers an 18-month, $20 million agreement between ASPR’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Basilea Pharmaceutica International, Ltd. The company will conduct Phase 3 clinical studies of the antibiotic, Ceftobiprole, in treating both Gram-negative and Gram-positive infections.

“HHS is working aggressively to address the nation’s needs in public health emergencies,” Richard Hatchett, acting director of BARDA, said. “Those needs include treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and to strengthen our defense against bioterror threats; by identifying a number of products that can address both needs, BARDA’s biodefense investments will yield important public health dividends.”

The treatment could be commercially available as a medical countermeasure or used in a bioterrorism emergency, pending FDA approval.