Deal-hungry AstraZeneca ($AZN) has struck a pact with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to fuel discovery of new antibiotics and other treatments against infectious diseases. And the London-based drug giant believes that the tie-up with the Cambridge, MA, institute could expedite efforts to bring new antibacterial and antiviral drugs to market.
AstraZeneca, which has dealt with or faced major setbacks in the clinic and the expiry of patents on key drugs, has sought tie-ups with external groups to bolster its pipeline without necessarily having to beef up its internal R&D ranks. The Broad Institute, where top academics have drawn previous support from Big Pharma, will mine a library of 100,000 novel compounds through its initial two-year deal with AstraZeneca. The drugmaker is expected to assume responsibility for developing potential treatments discovered from the Broad's library of diversity-oriented synthesis compounds, which are intended to hit tricky targets to treat infectious diseases.
As the collaborators noted in a press release, only two new classes of antibiotics have hit the market over the past three decades, amid a rise in drug-resistant "superbugs" that have contributed to the death toll from infectious diseases. Antibiotics haven't attracted as much Big Pharma interest in recent decades as other areas of drug development, such as oncology and pain treatments. AstraZeneca and other companies such as Sanofi ($SNY), which has tapped antibiotic tech from Rib-X Pharmaceuticals, have sought new sources of next-generation antibiotics from external groups.
"We believe new and collaborative approaches between the private and public sectors will help speed the discovery and development of new treatments, particularly for antibiotic-resistant infections," Dr. Manos Perros, vice president and head of the AstraZeneca Infection Innovative Medicines Unit, said in a statement. "We are very pleased to work hand in hand with the Broad Institute to combine our unique resources and strong histories in innovation, discovery and development to speed advancements in treatments for infections. Through this collaboration we have already identified several new potential projects to pursue."
The Broad Institute is among top academic centers with new deals from Big Pharma. For instance, academics from the Broad have previously joined forces with Japanese drugmaker Eisai to work on new and targeted treatments for cancer. Also, last month Novartis ($NVS) teamed up with the University of Pennsylvania on immune treatments for cancer.
- here's the release
Special Report: 10 Reasons Why Biotech Needs Big Data