Shionogi pays for access to Vast antibiotics

Shionogi (TYO: 4507) is the sole investor in the Series A funding round of Vast Therapeutics, a privately-owned US company that focuses on research and development of inhaled antimicrobial drugs enabling spontaneous and controlled nitric oxide release.

Under the terms of the agreement, the Japanese pharma major becomes a shareholder of Vast and has preferential negotiating rights for future in-licensing of BIOC51 and subsequent compounds.

BIOC51 is Vast’s lead candidate and is being investigated in non-clinical studies. It has eradicated, in vitro, more than 100 types of bacteria, including many antibiotic-resistant strains, and has been designated as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product by the US Food and Drug Administration as a potential cystic fibrosis treatment.