Addressing the threat of bad bugs

Compound summary

Evolva is developing EV-035 for the treatment of bacterial infections. EV-035 is a bacterial topoisomerase inhibitor, belonging to the chemical class of 2-pyridones. EV-035 shows excellent broad-spectrum activity, including activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria. Onset of resistance to the EV-035 class is both relatively slow and independent of the mechanism of resistance to quinolones, the widely prescribed gold standard of topoisomerase inhibitors. Evolva owns all rights to EV-035 and has two pending international PCT patent applications covering this portfolio. Evolva will continue to file IP surrounding this work.

The treatment of bacterial infections

Rising resistance to current antibiotics poses a serious threat to health worldwide. Each year, an estimated 25,000 people die of infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria in the European Union alone. As bacteria will never cease to mutate, continuous development of new antibiotics is a necessity.

Progress

In 2011 Evolva carried out in vitro and in vivo work on the compound, investigating the breadth of its activity and its pharmacokinetic parameters. In vitro studies have shown EV-035 to have broad bactericidal coverage, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains as well as bioterrorism agents. Early in vivo work indicates an efficacy comparable or better than gold standard drugs against both Gram+ and Gram- strains, , including E. coli and MRSA. The compound has excellent oral bio-availability. The work to date was part-funded by the US Army Research Office (ARO).