Intravenous treatments of serious infections (urinary tract infections, intra-abdominal infections & hospital-acquired pneumonia/ventilator associated pneumonia) caused by Gram(-) bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae +/- Pseudomonas and/or Acinetobacter)

In the various threats encompassed in the global AMR crisis, Gram(-) bacteria and especially ESBLproducing and carbapenemases-producing Enterobacteriaceae consistently rank among the most problematic organisms for which novel ways of managing the infections they cause are lacking. The scope of this action will be to progress novel lead compounds against these organisms by performing medicinal chemistry optimisation, in vitro and in vivo activity characterisation, as well as PK, ADMET, formulation and CMC studies. A particular focus will be on compounds identified from phenotypic screens of natural product extracts / libraries, and on compounds identified through non-traditional phenotypic screens (i.e. screens in non-traditional rich media and/or screens where a proxy for bacterial cell death is employed).

The Portfolio Building Network (PBN), Pillar C of the IMI2 JU AMR Accelerator programme, will address the limited pipeline of treatments and preventions for AMR infections by enabling vibrant and nimble collaborations between EFPIA companies and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and/or academics that will advance the R&D pipeline of new and innovative agents to address AMR.

The expected impact of actions selected under this Call will be to: (1) contribute to the development of a vibrant AMR research environment in the EU and strengthen the competitiveness and industrial leadership of Europe; (2) contribute to the EU’s ambition of being a ‘best practice region’ for addressing AMR; (3) enhance the overall pipeline of medicines for patients with AMR infections and advance new and innovative agents.