Enanta Reports New Macrolide-Related Drug Class, Bicyclolides, to Combat Hospital...

Enanta Reports New Macrolide-Related Drug Class, Bicyclolides, to Combat
Hospital and Community Acquired Superbug Infections, Including MRSA
Data Presented at the 10th Annual Superbugs and Superdrugs Conference on
Antibacterials

WATERTOWN, Mass., April 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Enanta Pharmaceuticals, a
leader in the development of small molecule anti-infective drugs, today
announced the presentation of their breakthrough research program to evaluate
a new macrolide-related drug class, Bicyclolides, in the treatment of
methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant
Enterococcus (VRE), and other gram-positive infection pathogens. Enanta's
Bicyclolides have also demonstrated strong activity against MRSA strains
resistant to vancomycin, Zyvox(R) (linezolid), and CUBICIN(R) (daptomycin).
The oral presentation, "New Bicyclolides Active Against MRSA and VRE," was
presented today during the 10th Annual Superbugs and Superdrugs Conference in
London, England.
"Previously, MRSA infection was a problem mainly for patients treated in
hospitals," said Robert Moellering, M.D., a professor of medicine at Harvard
Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "Now we're seeing
MRSA in the general community, creating a tremendous need for a new class of
antibiotics with improved safety profile and more convenient administration
for use within both hospital as well as community settings. The growing
problem of bacterial resistance to many existing drugs also necessitates the
development of new classes of compounds to fight the battle."
"Pre-clinical research on these new Bicyclolide compounds revealed
activity against MRSA and VRE, even against highly drug-resistant MRSA
strains. This was an unexpected finding, because traditional macrolides do not
work against these bacteria," explained Yat Sun Or, Ph.D., Senior Vice
President of Research and Development at Enanta. "These results are also very
exciting, because we have observed activity as good as
intravenously-administered vancomycin or Zyvox(R) with oral once-a-day dosing
levels of the Bicyclolides. The convenience of oral administration and the
safety profile of macrolides as a class represent patient and pharmacoeconomic
benefits that could be potentially quite significant, making this program a
worthwhile endeavor."
About Enanta's Bicyclolide research program
Bicyclolides posses a reengineered back-bone structure of traditional
macrolides, whose benefits include the potential for oral and intravenous
administration and limited side-effects. The discovery of Bicyclolides'
effectiveness against MRSA and VRE infections is part of Enanta's broad
antibiotic research program. Enanta has applied several research strategies to
develop these new classes of antibiotics, including innovative medicinal
chemistry approaches to create novel and proprietary chemical structures.
Enanta has applied its chemistry approach to create promising product
pipelines and a vast intellectual property estate.
About MRSA
More than 130,000 people each year need hospital care for MRSA, according
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Staphylococcus aureus is a
bacterium that can live harmlessly on human skin and is found in the nose of
20 to 40 percent of healthy individuals, but can sometimes cause infections
when exposed to broken skin. MRSA is a particular type of the bacteria that
has developed resistance to many antibiotics, including methicillin, making it
difficult to treat. Currently, the antibiotic drugs typically administered to
MRSA patients are intravenous. This method is expensive and inconvenient,
especially for those who acquired the infection in the community and must seek
hospital treatment for lengthy intravenous treatment.
About Enanta
Enanta Pharmaceuticals is a research and development company that uses its
novel chemistry approach and drug discovery capabilities to create best in
class small molecule drugs in the anti-infective field. At the heart of
Enanta is its commitment to innovative chemistry that surpasses traditional
medicinal chemistry approaches. Enanta is developing novel protease and
polymerase inhibitors targeted against the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Additionally, the Company has created a new class of macrolide antibiotics,
called Bicyclolides, which overcome bacterial resistance. Antibacterial focus
areas include superbugs, respiratory tract infections, and intravenous and
oral treatments for hospital and community MRSA. Enanta is a privately held
company with offices in Watertown, MA. More information about the company can
be found at www.enanta.com .
Zyvox is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc. and CUBICIN is a registered
trademark of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Enanta Contacts
For Enanta Investor Relations, please contact:
Paul Mellett
617-607-0761

For Enanta Public Relations, please contact MacDougall Biomedical
Communications:
Kari Watson
781-235-3060
kwatson@macbiocom.com

SOURCE Enanta Pharmaceuticals

Investor Relations, Paul Mellett of Enanta, +1-617-607-0761; or Public
Relations, Kari Watson of MacDougall Biomedical Communications for Enanta
Pharmaceuticals, +1-781-235-3060, kwatson@macbiocom.com