VenatoRx Pharma partners on cefepime/VNRX-5133 in China and SE Asia

US antibacterial and antiviral drug R&D firm VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Beijing, China-based Everest Medicines II to support the development, registration and commercialization of cefepime/VNRX-5133 in Greater China, South Korea and Southeast Asia for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), infections due to carbapenem resistant pathogens, and hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP).

Under the terms of the license agreement, VenatoRx and Everest will collaborate on the global Phase III clinical development trials of cefepime/VNRX-5133, Everest will be solely responsible for the commercialization of cefepime/VNRX-5133 in the territory, and VenatoRx will be eligible to receive up to $114 million, including upfront and royalties on net sales of cefepime/VNRX-5133 in the territory.

“We are thrilled to partner with Everest as we ramp up our global Phase 3 clinical trials,” said Christopher Burns, president and chief executive of VenatoRx. “Everest is renowned for its dedication to develop and commercialize novel transformative pharmaceutical therapies for patients in Asia. Our lead asset, VNRX-5133, in combination with cefepime, has the opportunity to address a critical unmet medical need for patients in Greater China. We look forward to working with Everest to commercialize cefepime/VNRX-5133 and thwart the increasing threat of antibiotic resistance,” he added.