Qpex Biopharma announced today that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has exercised a $10 million option to support the company's antibiotic development program.
Qpex, of San Diego, California, will use the money to further develop of xeruborbactam, an investigational beta-lactamase inhibitor that targets drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Qpex is currently conducting phase 1 trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral and intravenous treatments combining xeruborbactam with a beta-lactam antibiotic against infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and carbapenem-resistant and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase–producing Enterobacterales.
The option was awarded under Qpex's existing $132 million contract with BARDA. Qpex was acquired by Japanese drugmaker Shionogi in 2023.
"We are grateful for the opportunity to build on our longstanding partnership with BARDA and to continue making progress on our development program as part of a leading global organization with a strong record discovering, developing and commercializing innovative anti-infective products," Qpex President and CEO Michael Dudley, PharmD, said in a company press release.