Vedanta’s VE707 microbiome program, which is still in the preclinical stage, is designed to restore healthy microbiota and prevent infection and colonization recurrence by multi-drug-resistant superbugs.
Vedanta Biosciences picked up $5.8 million in funding to support the development of VE707 for multi-drug resistant infections. The funding was a grant from CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator), a non-profit dedicated to addressing the threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
Vedanta’s VE707 microbiome program, which is still in the preclinical stage, is designed to restore healthy microbiota and prevent infection and colonization recurrence by multi-drug-resistant superbugs. If Cambridge, Mass.-based Vedanta hits certain milestones in its R&D, the company is eligible for an additional $3.5 million in funding. This is the second Vedanta project that has been selected by CARB-X for funding and support. Vedanta Biosciences received its first grant from CARB-X for $5.4 million in 2017 to support clinical testing of Vedanta’s oral product candidate, VE303, for the potential treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI). VE303 is currently being evaluated in a Phase II study in patients at high risk of rCDI.
According to Vedanta, E707 is designed to decolonize gut-dwelling multi-drug resistant organisms in patients at high-risk for developing infections. Specifically, VE707 is being developed to eliminate intestinal carriage of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), extended-spectrum beta lactamase producers (ESBL), and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) to restore a healthy microbiota as well as prevent infection and colonization recurrence. CRE, ESBL, and VRE infections are some of the most common hospital-acquired infections and are estimated to affect over 500,000 patients each year in the United States and Europe.
Bernat Olle, chief executive officer of Vedanta Biosciences, said the company is looking forward to working with CARB-X to develop an alternative treatment for multi-drug resistant organisms.
“If we could get rid of intestinal carriage of these MDROs in high-risk patients, we could not only prevent infections, but also curb the transmission of these organisms and enable physicians to avoid using antibiotics that select for ever-more resistant bacterial strains,” Olle said in a statement.
From 2016 to 2021, CARB-X is investing up to $500 million in antibacterial R&D. Since 2016, the organization has already invested more than $160 million. The goal is to support projects through the early phases of development to Phase 1 in hopes those assets will attract additional support for further clinical development and potential approval for use in patients. CARB-X currently has a portfolio of 33 projects in five different countries.
“The addition of Vedanta’s VE707 program to the CARB-X portfolio expands the rich diversity of our pipeline and reflects a novel approach against drug-resistant bacteria,” Kevin Outterson, executive director of CARB-X, which is based at the Boston University School of Law, said in a statement. “Innovations such as VE707, if successful and approved for use in patients, could offer physicians broader treatment options that would strengthen a patient’s ability to fight serious infections and limit the spread of drug-resistant bacteria.”
