Specialised Therapeutics Australia: New drug to fight hospital superbug infection

25-Jun-2012 - Australia

A new therapy to treat a common hospital superbug infection Clostridium difficile, will soon be available to Australian & New Zealand patients.  Specialised Therapeutics Australia Pty, Ltd. (STA) has entered into an exclusive distribution & license agreement with US based Optimer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Optimer) to develop and commercialise the drug DIFICID in Australia and New Zealand.

STA Chief Executive Officer Mr Carlo Montagner said: “CDI presents a serious bacterial health threat and current CDI treatment options available in Australia and New Zealand are limited.  Our license of DIFICID provides a great opportunity to bring a much-needed new therapy to patients.”

DIFICID is the first in a new class of macrolide antibiotics, which are minimally absorbed by the bloodstream and have been shown to fight the CDI infection while leaving healthy gut flora untouched. DIFICID works by inhibiting the bacterial enzyme RNA polymerase, resulting in the death of C. difficile bacteria. Patients typically develop CDI when using broad spectrum antibiotics, which disrupt normal gut flora and enable the infection to take hold.

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