Nosopharm receives €1 million loan to develop antibiotic candidate

A company dedicated to the research and development of new anti-infective drugs, Nosopharm, has received funding from Bpifrance worth €1 million in the form of an interest-free loan.

This funding will be used by the company to perform chemistry, manufacturing and controls (CMC) development and regulatory preclinical research for its main drug candidate, NOSO-502. Additionally, Nosopharm plans to submit clinical trial authorisation application next year (2019) with the view of starting in-human clinical trials in 2020.

NOSO-502, the first clinical candidate in the new class of antibiotics known as Odilhorhabdins, inhibits bacterial translation with a new action mechanism. It is the most advanced molecule in Nosopharm’s portfolio and is intended primarily for the treatment of nosocomial infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae, including polymyxin- and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE).

“Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) are still not very familiar to the general public. They are often overshadowed by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which have dominated discussions for several years. However, the WHO has identified this class as a priority in terms of the need to discover new molecules,” said Sandra Dubos, business innovation manager at Bpifrance. “Nosopharm’s strategic development choices have therefore allowed it to take advantage of a window of opportunity that few players will be able to address with new molecules. We have supported Nosopharm since its creation and we are particularly proud to be on board with this project, with which Nosopharm can reach a key milestone in its development.”

“The funds provided by Bpifrance represent welcome financial support that will smooth the way for us to move towards the next decisive steps for our company, including the submission of a clinical phase authorisation application for NOSO-502,” added Philippe Villain-Guillot, chief executive officer of Nosopharm. “We would like to thank Bpifrance for its trust. We are delighted to be able to push this new first-in-class antibiotic towards the clinical stage and are focusing our efforts on the progression of this project.”