Entasis finds success in resistance

The paucity of new antibiotics, and particularly of those for drug-resistant strains of bacteria, could bode well for Entasis Therapeutics when it comes to filing its lead project. In the phase 3 Attack trial sulbactam-durlobactam (Sul-Dur) showed noninferiority against the marketed antibiotic colistin in patients with infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii. The combination also showed a numerical survival benefit: at 28 days all-cause mortality with Sul-Dur was 19% compared with 32% in the colistin arm. Acinetobacter baumannii has shown high rates of drug resistance, and is responsible for a number of hospital-acquired infections, so it is almost certain that there will be regulatory interest in the project. Entasis plans on filing by the start of 2022. There is, however, still a way to go before approval, and sales of antibiotics can be tricky to model as new products tend to be reserved for use as a last resort. This could explain why Entasis’s shares climbed just 3% this morning. Should Entasis get FDA approval this could be another example of Astrazeneca’s successful policy of spinning out non-core assets, following the buyout of Viela Bio and approval of Albireo Pharma's Bylvay this year.