Advanz Pharma secured rights to Polypid’s prolonged-release antibiotic candidate D-PLEX100, paying $2.6 million upfront and dangling more than $100 million in milestones to secure the European license.
D-PLEX100 is designed to provide prolonged and controlled antibacterial activity directly at the surgical site to prevent infection. Using polymer-lipid encapsulation matrix technology, the candidate gradually releases doxycycline to provide high local concentration of the broad-spectrum antibiotic for 30 days. Polypid has identified Advanz as a good custodian of the asset in Europe.
“Advanz Pharma’s expertise in marketing hospital-based therapies, combined with its significant resources and relationships in the region, will prove invaluable in expanding access to D-PLEX100 and delivering this much-needed therapy, if approved, to patients,” Polypid CEO Dikla Czaczkes Akselbrad said in a press release.
Polypid is studying the candidate in phase 3 trials including Shield I, a study of 950 people who received D-PLEX100 or standard of care after undergoing abdominal surgery. The study is designed to show if the treatment can reduce the rate of surgical site infection in the 30 days after a procedure. D-PLEX100 was applied during the surgery at the final stage of incision closure.
If the study is successful, Polypid is set to receive a further $12.5 million. The deal also features an extra $8.4 million in development-related milestones, plus up to $89 million tied to the achievement of sales goals.
Having secured a European partner, Polypid is talking to “multiple large and mid-size potential strategic partners” with “significant presence and experience selling in hospitals and operating rooms” about the commercialization of D-PLEX100 in other markets.