Malvern-based antibiotics firm Venatorx Pharmaceuticals has been awarded its third government contract, potentially worth up to $167 million, to develop treatments for multi-drug-resistant bacterial and challenging viral infections, writes John George for the Philadelphia Business Journal.  

The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has initially committed up to $20.3 million, with the prospect of providing a total of $167 million over a six-year period. 

The funds allocated to Venatorx are designated for the development of an experimental oral pill treatment for urinary tract infections.  

This comes after BARDA awarded contracts valued at $87 million in 2019 and up to $318 million to Venatorx, which has recently completed multiple phase 1 clinical studies for experimental treatment under the BARDA contract and will progress to global phase 3 clinical trial testing. 

The last step, which must be successfully completed in drug development before seeking product approval, will see BARDA and Venatorx sharing the costs of the phase 3 clinical trial, with Venatorx leading all regulatory activities necessary to seek FDA approval of the drugs. 

Burns underscored the potential of oral treatment to play a crucial role in treating infections, averting unnecessary hospitalizations, and saving millions of dollars in inpatient treatment costs. 

Read more about the innovative strides Venatorx Pharmaceuticals is making in the critical battle against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections in the Philadelphia Business Journal.  

More about Venatorx Pharmaceuticals.