An experimental antibiotic just got one step closer to approval
Summary
CDC (Reuters) - Paratek Pharmaceuticals Inc said on Monday its experimental lead antibiotic succeeded in a second late-stage study, bringing it one step closer to applying for marketing approvals in the United States and Europe. Parateks omadacycline, which was being tested against an existing antibiotic called moxifloxacin, met the main goals in a late-stage study in patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP), which is considered a leading cause of death due to infection. Bigham did not disclose the companys pricing strategy but pointed to Pfizer Incs recently approved antibiotic Zyvox, which costs about $3000 for a 10-day course of treatment as a benchmark. Separately, Paratek and Allergan Plc announced positive late-stage acne data from two trials testing their antibiotic, sarecycline, last week. But the pace of development has lagged as they are not as profitable as other treatments - such as cancer drugs - and because aggressive marketing tactics only serve to exacerbate their overuse.