HHS to Fund Drug Combating Bioterrorism, Antimicrobial Resistance

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a subset of the HHS, is entering a public-private relationship with San Diego-based Rempex Pharmaceuticals to continue developing an antimicrobial drug that may help protect against biothreats and drug-resistant bacteria.

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The drug, Carbavance, has already showed promising results for treating melioidosis (Whitmore’s disease) and glanders, two bioterrorism threats that kill up to 90 percent of those exposed. There are current antibiotic treatments for these bacteria, but the mortality rate is still approximately 40 percent for treated patients. Additionally, melioidosis and glanders run the risk of becoming resistant to antibiotics.  

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Carbavance also has the potential to treat other antibiotic-resistant infections, including urinary tract infections, hospital-acquired pneumonia, ventilator-acquired pneumonia and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

The five-year agreement included an initial $19.8 million commitment from BARDA, which could extend to a $90 million contribution over the course of the agreement.

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