Debiopharm Group and TCG Lifesciences Ltd. Enter into an Exclusive Research Agreement to Develop a Novel Class of Antibiotics, a New Strategic Therapeutic Area for Debiopharm

LAUSANNE, Switzerland and KOLKATA, India, September 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm), the Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs, including oncology as well as companion diagnostics, and TCG Lifesciences Limited (TCGLS) a leading contract research services company in the area of early drug discovery and development, today announced the signature of an exclusive discovery collaboration to develop innovative antibiotics targeting drug-resistant bacteria for community hospital-acquired infections.

Debiopharm is willing to become a key player in the area of antibacterials to fulfill the increasing need of new classes of antibiotics to overcome resistance to current treatment.

Under the terms of the agreement, TCGLS will contribute its expertise in the discovery and optimization of lead compounds whilst Debiopharm will provide drug development expertise and fund the development program.

“We foresee to increase our commitment in this field over next few months through additional partnerships and investments on other innovative targets” said David Deperthes, VP Business Development & Licensing. "We are very enthusiastic about this partnership with TCGLS for the development of novel antibiotics, their extensive experience in medicinal chemistry and infectious diseases is a major asset for the development of Debio 1348. This partnership is key to us to establish a leadership position in the area of antibiotics” said Rolland-Yves Mauvernay, President and founder of Debiopharm Group.

Swapan Bhattacharya, Managing Director of TCG Lifesciences commented: “We are indeed excited about this program which involves a challenging new target that could potentially address the vast incidence of nosocomial infections which plague healthcare facilities all over the world. Debiopharm’s developmental expertise combined with our medicinal chemistry capabilities and efficient discovery operations provide an attractive opportunity for accelerated discovery of novel drug candidates for clinical development.”

Antibiotic resistance and nosocomial infection

The CDC estimates that, each year, nearly 2 million people in the United States acquire an infection while in a hospital, resulting in 90,000 deaths. More than 70 percent of the bacteria that cause these infections are resistant to at least one of the antibiotics commonly used to treat them.

In a report, the European CDC states that at least 25,000 patients in the EU die each year from infections due to bacteria that are resistant to a number of marketed drugs.

About TCG Lifesciences Ltd.

TCGLS is a leading contract research services company in the area of early drug discovery and development. They started their operations in the year 2001 in India. Currently TCGLS is present  in the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia. The company has a strong talent pool of 800+ trained scientists, drawn from the best national and international institutes as well as the industry. Their services span from specific solutions to integrated discovery projects across multiple therapeutic areas with focus on Central Nervous System (CNS), Inflammation and Pain, Metabolic Disorders and Infectious Diseases.

For more information about TCG, please visit: http://www.tcgls.com

About Debiopharm Group

Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm) is a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical group of companies with a focus on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs. The group in-licenses, develops and/or co-develops promising biological and small molecule drug candidates having reached clinical development phases I, II or III, as well as earlier stage candidates. It develops its products for global registration and access to the largest number of patients worldwide. The products are out-licensed to pharmaceutical partners for sales and marketing. Debiopharm is also active in the field of companion diagnostics with a view to progressing in the area of personalized medicine. Debiopharm independently funds the worldwide development of all of its products while providing expertise in pre-clinical and clinical trials, manufacturing, drug delivery and formulation, and regulatory affairs.

For more information about Debiopharm Group, please visit: http://www.debiopharm.com.

    
    Debiopharm International SA Contact
    Beatrice Hirt
    Communication Coordinator
    [email protected]
    Tel.: +41-(0)21-321-01-11

    CG Lifesciences Ltd Contact
    Rakesh C. Pandya
    Head - Finance
    [email protected]
    Tel.: +91-33-4000-3000

    Additional Media Contacts
    In London
    Maitland
    Brian Hudspith
    [email protected]
    Tel.: +44-(0)20-7379-5151

    In New York
    Russo Partners, LLC
    Martina Schwarzkopf, Ph.D.
    Account Executive
    [email protected]
    Tel.: +1-212-845-4292

SOURCE The Debiopharm Group