Russian biotech company Infectex, Ltd., recently announced that it has entered into license agreement with Qurient, Ltd., of Korea for the exclusive rights to develop and market Qurient’s Q203 treatment against Tuberculosis.
Under the terms of the agreement, Infectex, a Maxwell Biotech Venture Fund portfolio company, will be able to develop Q203 in the Russian Federation, Armenia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine. The World Health Organization reports that Russia has the third highest rate of multidrug-resistant TB in the world.
“We are delighted that Infectex has added a new anti-tuberculosis drug to its portfolio,” Maxwell Biotech Venture Fund Managing Partner Dmitry Popov said. “In spite of the effort of the Russian government, the incidence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis remains high in Russia. This situation creates serious social risks and has a negative economic impact. One can envision that the global strategy of tuberculosis treatment will involve the use of new and highly effective drug combinations. The drug candidates SQ109 and Q203 developed by Infectex have a great potential to become the basis for such combinations.”
Q203 is a novel drug against multidrug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB. It is the first drug of its kind with an original action mechanism and was shown in preclinical trials to prevent the growth of MDR isolates of M. tuberculosis. Infectex will be responsible for conducting additional preclinical studies and plans to begin clinical trials early next year.
“It is an excellent opportunity for Qurient to bring Q203 to clinics in Russia and neighboring countries with a competent partner,” Qurient Chief Executive Officer Kiyean Nam said. “There are huge unmet medical needs for TB, particularly for MDR/XDR TB, in many parts of the world including Russia. Qurient is ready to work closely with Infectex to provide a life-saving solution to MDR and XDR patients in the territory.”
Source: Vaccine News Daily