Novartis acquires Protez and rights to PZ-601 antibiotic

Novartis announced today it has signed an agreement to acquire Protez Pharmaceuticals – a deal which includes the North American rights to PZ-601, a hospital antibiotic.

Protez is a privately-held biotechnology company based in Pennsylvania and through the acquisition Novartis will be able to access its research expertise.

Specifically, PZ-601, which is still in clinical development stages, is classed as a carbapenem agent. These are used to treat life-threatening infections brought on by Gram-positive/negative bacteria.

PZ-601 has so far been shown to offer a broader spectrum of coverage compared to other injectible antibiotics, especially those considered a public health issue such as MRSA.

“The addition of Protez and its pipeline, including PZ-601, to our existing initiatives will further strengthen our position in the specialty field of hospital infections while helping to address the public health challenges of increasing bacterial resistance and high mortality rate,” said Novartis Pharma AG chief executive officer Joe Jimenez.

This week also saw Novartis present data related to the potential of RAD0001 in women with hormone-positive breast cancer.