Basilea Pharmaceutica

We are #hiring! Please click on the job advertisement below for further information.

We are #hiring! Please click on the job advertisement below for further information.

It’s been two months since our Capital Markets Day “Creating anti-infective opportunities” in Zurich. Key opinion leaders in antifungal and antibacterial medicine, along with the Basilea management team, discussed the value of developing new treatment options for patients and the anti-infectives market. Curious to know which factors make Basilea so successful on its mission? We: 💎 address the unmet medical need of patients with severe infections 💎 maintain an exciting anti-infectives portfolio with great opportunities 💎 are a profitable and revenue generating company 💎 operate from a position of financial strength 💎 have a smart business model 💎 are a diverse team of experts in their respective fields who work together to create innovations in anti-infectives Want to see more? You can find the slides, agenda and the video recording of all presentations on our event website: https://lnkd.in/e9sZPRwz

It’s a story 30-odd years in the making. The tale begins in the 1990s, when Roche had an anti-infectives unit. Back then, plenty of pharmaceutical companies had scientists working on novel antibiotics, inspired financially by the 50 years of successful antimicrobial development that had preceded them and morally by the rise of drug-resistant bacteria. Roche scientists had the idea to create a systemic β-lactam antibiotic for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as #MRSA. It was the early days of antimicrobial resistance—or at least the appreciation of it—and MRSA appeared to be the greatest threat among drug-resistant bacteria. Roche’s drug, ceftobiprole medocaril sodium (ceftobiprole), breaks the mold for β-lactams, which MRSA is adept at evading because of the structure of its penicillin-binding protein (PBP). Ceftobiprole has a strong affinity for variants of PBP specific to MRSA and several other bacteria. So work on the antibiotic continued, and when Roche spun out its infectious diseases and dermatological units into a new company called Basilea Pharmaceutica in 2000, the program went with it. A few years later, Basilea struck a partnership with pharma giant Johnson & Johnson, which would develop, commercialize, and manufacture the drug. But manufacturing slip-ups and a shifting regulatory landscape forced Basilea—whose partnership with Johnson & Johnson ended in 2010—to reengineer its data package multiple times, including by running another large clinical trial on top of the studies it had already conducted. It took another two decades and $134 million from the US government before ceftobiprole was finally approved by the FDA. That was on April 3, 2024. “Having a β-lactam for MRSA was a big deal, and they had the best one, in my opinion,” says Ryan Cirz, an antibiotic developer and CEO of biotech start-up Revagenix, Inc.. “I’m happy they finally got it to market, but my God, that program’s been going on for like 30 years.” #Zevtera is one of three antibiotics to gain FDA approval for humans so far this year, and the only systemic one. The other two are for urinary tract infections (UTIs): UTILITY therapeutics’ #Pivya, for uncomplicated UTIs; and Allecra Therapeutics’ #Exblifep, for complicated, or drug-resistant, UTIs. But outside of 2024, the US has approved few new antibiotics in recent years. Only 17 new systemic antibiotics and one related biologic netted approval between 2010 and May 2021. Experts worry that even that number could represent a peak. These approvals were decades in the making, and a labyrinth of scientific, financial, and regulatory challenges are sending today’s antibiotic developers fleeing. A deep dive on #AMR in my latest for C&EN: https://lnkd.in/edrSxJVB

ZEVTERA, a new treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections from our partner Basilea Pharmaceutica, is the latest BARDA-supported product indication to receive FDA approval. The therapeutic is indicated to treat adults with Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections and acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). Antibiotic-resistant gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria cause severe and life-threatening infections, especially when patients are hospitalized and/or undergoing surgery. The bloodstream and skin infections caused by these bacteria can lead to complications, including sepsis, and potentially death if improperly treated. We support the advanced development, regulatory approval, and potential procurement of antimicrobials to treat biothreat and secondary infections. Following exposure to a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) incident, pandemic influenza, or an emerging infectious disease, individuals may develop drug-resistant bacterial or fungal infections. FDA-approved products supported by BARDA, such as ZEVTERA, could improve patient outcomes and mitigate the spread of disease during routine care and public health emergencies. This effort is a part of our ongoing efforts to combat antimicrobial resistant threats to public health. Learn more: https://ow.ly/5bxF50RxxtZ

Is antimicrobial resistance the next big health crisis? In this episode of the Beyond Markets Podcast, Dr Damien Ng PhD, our Next Generation Research Analyst, discusses the growing concerns with Dr Laurenz Kellenberger, Chief Scientific Officer at Basilea. ➡️ Watch more on this here: https://ow.ly/YcGI50Rrvna #FutureInsights

Our location, the Bachgraben area in Allschwil near Basel, is growing into one of the largest focal points of the global life science innovation ecosystem. Its infrastructure brings together leading companies, dynamic start-ups and renowned research institutes. Thank you to Standortförderung Baselland for the video "World-Class Architecture Meets World-Class Research", showcasing the dynamic development of Bachgraben. We are happy to be a part of this. English video: https://lnkd.in/ejZ_3mf9

Our Capital Markets Day “Creating anti-infectives opportunities” last week at the Park Hyatt in Zurich was a full success! Institutional investors, financial analysts and business media were invited to dive into Basilea’s business model, our strategy and vision for developing and commercializing antifungals and antibacterials that meet the needs of patients. After presentations by the CEO David Veitch, CFO Adesh Kaul and CMO Marc Engelhardt from the Basilea Management team, we had the chance to listen to two internationally renowned medical experts in the field of anti-infectives: Professor Oliver A. Cornely and Professor Thomas L. Holland gave us a glimpse into the medical need and applications of anti-infectives medicines in the hospital. You can now find the 📹 video recording of the event, our 🗣 presentation slides and some 📸 images on the event website: https://lnkd.in/dKb7Sr76   Thank you to all our guests for the lively interactions, to Noelia Blanco and Christoph Schmidt for their support in organizing a smooth event as well as to Olivia Kinghorst for moderating.

As Basilea continues to deliver on our strategy to be a leading anti-infective company acquiring novel assets through the clinical life cycle, our partners continue to support Basilea’s development of these assets and nurture the future for patients with severe infections. The recent announcement from CARB-X to support the development of our novel portfolio shows the continued trust in Basilea’s teams to deliver high quality results for patients and the excitement surrounding the next generation of anti-infective therapies. Congratulations to our R&D teams on this great achievement and big thanks to CARB-X for your continued support and trust. #antiinfectives #antibacterial #antifungal #innovation #commitment #funding #basilea

Curious about how Basilea is creating #value and exciting #opportunities across the antifungal and antibacterial therapy areas? 💎 Join us at our Capital Markets Day this week Thursday, April 11, 2-6pm in Zurich! Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area Basel Area Business & Innovation