Here's an acticle from The Financial Post.
Wednesday, June 11, 1997
Micrologix drug could be the cure for antibiotic-resistant bacteria
By JENNIFER LANTHIER
Biotechnology Reporter The Financial Post
An enhanced antibiotic from Micrologix Biotech Inc. has shown in early-stage tests it can kill the dangerous bacteria that threatened a Winnipeg hospital ward this week.
Shares in the Vancouver-based company (MBI/TSE) popped up 5% on the newsbefore settling back to close up 5› at $3.80 yesterday.
A spokesman for Micrologix said yesterday its Enhancin peptide can restore the effectiveness of the antibiotic vancomycin against vancomycin-resistant enterococcus, or VRE.
Various forms of these bacteria infect about 800,000 patients in U.S. hospitals each year and can be treated by antibiotics.
But VRE is a potentially deadly strain that has proved stronger than any antibiotic, including the most powerful, vancomycin. In addition, vancomycin is highly toxic and considered a drug of last resort.
"You don't want to use high levels of this antibiotic," said Bob Cory, manager for business development. "By combining it with this peptide you restore the sensitivity of these organisms to vancomycin."
Staff at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg restricted admissions to its cancer ward last weekend after routine tests turned up VRE in a patient. However, spokesman Jim Rodger said yesterday the ward was back to normal after tests showed the bacteria hadn't spread beyond the original patient, who is isolated.
"You can decontaminate the room but for the patient there is no known treatment," Rodger said, adding incidents of VRE seem to be increasing, with four outbreaks in Winnipeg alone in the past year. The problem is more common in the U.S. and the centre now tests patients for the bacteria if they have been admitted to a U.S. hospital in the past two months.
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Analyst Ezra Lwowski of Toronto's Yorkton Securities Ltd. said Micrologix's test results should help it attract a partner from big pharmaceutical firms or generic drug makers. Vancomycin is a generic drug.
"There's a lot more work to be done, but all indications are that their series of compounds has a lot of potential," he said.
Analyst Andr‚ Uddin of Toronto's Midland Walwyn Capital Inc. said the antibiotic market worldwide is "about US$26 billion in revenues" and most of those drugs have problems with resistance.
"Micrologix is early stage, but you can justify the risk to reward based on the large market and the company's excellent drug discovery program," he said.
Cory said Micrologix has "ongoing discussions" with most of the top pharmaceutical firms. "The next logical step would be to move into animal studies but for us, that's something we would look at doing with a partner on board, [one] that has experience with vancomycin," he said. |
