Enanta Initiates Phase 1 Study on EDP-322, an Oral Antibiotic With Activity Against Hospital- and Community-Acq...( EDP-322 is a First-in-class M...),Health

EDP-322 is a First-in-class MRSA-active Bicyclolide, a novel

macrolide-related drug class

WATERTOWN, Mass., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Enanta Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of small molecule anti-infective drugs, announced today the initiation of a Phase 1 study on investigational oral antibiotic EDP-322, a first-in-class MRSA-active Bicyclolide, a novel macrolide-related drug class with a distinct resistance profile. The clinical development program for EDP-322 will include the treatment of hospital- and community-acquired gram-positive infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Preclinically, EDP-322 has demonstrated strong in vitro activity against hospital-acquired MRSA strains resistant to vancomycin, Zyvox(R) (linezolid), and CUBICIN(R) (daptomycin).

"Macrolides have been commonly prescribed to treat community infections for decades due to their convenient oral dosing and favorable safety profile," said Robert Moellering, M.D., a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "Now with the discovery of a new generation of macrolides having high potency against hospital-acquired pathogens and a distinct resistance profile relative to other hospital antibiotics, there is a tremendous new opportunity to explore their use within not only the community, but the hospital setting as well."

"In our in vitro studies, EDP-322 demonstrated good potency against both hospital- and community-acquired MRSA, even against highly drug-resistant MRSA strains," explained Yat Sun Or, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Development at Enanta. "The potency of EDP-322 against hospital-acquired MRSA, community-acquired MRSA, and other gram-positive pathogens, combined with the convenience of oral administration, has the potential to uniquely position EDP-322 among marketed MRSA drugs in both the hospital and community settings."