WALTHAM, Mass. & VIENNA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Arsanis, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASNS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on applying monoclonal antibody immunotherapies to address serious infectious diseases, today announced that it has entered into an agreement under which BB100, LLC has secured an exclusive, worldwide preclinical development license, and an option to a clinical development and commercialization license, to monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting E. coli that were discovered by Arsanis in its ASN200 program.
“This transaction allows Arsanis to continue the focused execution of our ongoing ASN100 Phase 2 clinical trial while providing for the potential advancement of our novel, multi-modal mAbs targeting E. coli, a leading cause of serious hospital infections,” said René Russo, chief executive officer of Arsanis. “We are pleased to place these mAbs in the hands of BB100, a subsidiary of Bravos Bioscience, LLC, led by Dr. Paul Ambrose and a leadership team that is globally recognized as a leader in anti-infective drug development and has played a critical role in the development and approval of many anti-infectives developed over the last decade.”
Under the agreement, Arsanis has granted BB100 the exclusive right to conduct further preclinical development activities on licensed mAbs, with an option to enter into an exclusive global development and commercial license.
About ASN200
The ASN200 program is currently in preclinical
development. Within this program, Arsanis discovered a unique monoclonal
antibody, ASN-4, that has multiple modes of action against the
hyper-virulent, multi-drug resistant E. coli ST131-O25b:H4 clone.
ASN-4 is directly bactericidal and provides anti-inflammatory effects
without the need for innate immune cells and therefore, has the
potential to be beneficial even in immunocompromised patients. In
addition, ASN-4 has been demonstrated to potentiate the activity of
antibiotics, potentially minimizing the use of last-line antibiotics
with less favorable toxicity profiles. ASN-4 is highly potent and
elicits a high level of protection at very low doses in relevant animal
models and therefore has the potential to be used both for prevention of
disease in colonized, high-risk patients and treatment of patients with
serious infections, including those in whom antibiotics have failed.
About BB100
BB100 is a fully owned subsidiary of Bravos
Biosciences, LLC. Paul G. Ambrose, Pharm.D., F.I.D.S.A.,
currently serves as president of the Institute for Clinical
Pharmacodynamics (ICPD, Schenectady, NY). Both Bravos Biosciences and
ICPD are cofounded by Drs. Ambrose, Sujata M. Bhavnani and Christopher
M. Rubino. The team’s areas of scientific inquiry primarily involve
anti-infective translational science, with the goal of improving patient
care through the application of pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD)
principles. Dr. Ambrose has held academic appointments at the University
of Oxford and the University at Buffalo as well as past industry
positions including at Bristol Myers Squibb. Dr. Ambrose holds a
Pharm.D. from the University of the Pacific and completed a
Post-Doctoral Fellowship in infectious diseases at Hartford Hospital.
About Arsanis
Arsanis, Inc. is a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on applying monoclonal antibody (mAb)
immunotherapies to address serious infectious diseases. A deep
understanding of the pathogenesis of infection, paired with access to
what the company believes to be some of the most advanced mAb discovery
techniques and platforms available today, has positioned Arsanis to
further its goal of building and advancing a pipeline of novel mAbs with
multiple mechanisms of action and high potency against their intended
targets. The company’s lead clinical program, ASN100, is aimed at
serious Staphylococcus aureus infections and is being evaluated
in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the prevention of S. aureus pneumonia
in high-risk, mechanically ventilated patients. In addition to ASN100,
its preclinical pipeline is comprised of mAbs targeting multiple serious
bacterial and viral pathogens, including respiratory syncytial virus.
Arsanis is a U.S. company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, with European research and preclinical development operations headquartered in Vienna, Austria (Arsanis Biosciences GmbH).
For more information, please visit the Arsanis website at www.arsanis.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This
press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
forward-looking statements include those regarding Arsanis’ plans,
strategies and expectations for the clinical development of its mAb
programs; the expected benefits of the option and license agreement for
ASN200; and the potential benefit of its strategic plans and focus. The
words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,”
“plan,” “predict,” “project,” “would,” “could,” “potential,” “possible,”
“hope,” “strategy,” “milestone,” “will,” and similar expressions are
intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all
forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Such
statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ
materially from Arsanis' current expectations and beliefs. For example,
there can be no guarantee that any mAb programs Arsanis is developing
will successfully commence or complete necessary preclinical and
clinical development phases, or that development of any of Arsanis'
product candidates will successfully continue. There can be no guarantee
that any positive developments in Arsanis' business will result in stock
price appreciation. Management's expectations and, therefore, any
forward-looking statements in this press release could also be affected
by risks and uncertainties relating to a number of other important
factors, including: Arsanis' results of clinical trials and preclinical
studies, including subsequent analysis of existing data and new data
received from ongoing and future studies; the content and timing of
decisions made by the U.S. FDA and other regulatory authorities,
investigational review boards at clinical trial sites and publication
review bodies; Arsanis' ability to obtain and maintain requisite
regulatory approvals and to enroll patients in its planned and ongoing
clinical trials; unplanned cash requirements and expenditures;
competitive factors; Arsanis' ability to obtain, maintain and enforce
patent and other intellectual property protection for any product
candidates it is developing; Arsanis' ability to maintain key
collaborations; and general economic and market conditions. These and
other risks are described in greater detail under the caption "Risk
Factors" included in Arsanis’ public filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this
press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Arsanis expressly
disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise,
except as required by law.
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