Pfizer’s acquisition of the development and commercialization rights of AstraZeneca’s late-stage small molecule anti-infective business was completed last month.
This includes the development rights and commercialization to the newly European Union-approved drug Zavicefta; the marketed agents Merrem/Meronem and Zinforo and the clinical development assests aztreonam-avibactam (ATM-AVI); and CXL.
Zavicefta is a combination antibiotic used to treat serious Gram-negative bacterial infections. Merrem/Meronem is a carbapenem anti-bacterial for the treatment of serious infections in hospitalized patients. Zinforo is an intravenous cephalosporin antibiotic used to treat adults with skin and soft tissue infections or community-acquired pneumonia. ATM-AVI is in Phase II development to treat life-threatening Gram-negative bacterial infections caused by multi-drug resistant strains. It may be able to replace antibacterial agents like colistin and tigecycline. CXL is an injectable bactericidal lactam/lactamase inhibitor.
“The addition of AstraZeneca’s complementary small molecule anti-infectives portfolio enhances our global expertise and offerings in an increasingly important area of therapeutics that addresses the public health needs of patients and health care professionals,” John Young, Pfizer Essential Health's group president, said. “Additionally this acquisition is an example of how we are focusing our investments to drive sustainable revenue growth potential for our Essential Health business.”
