IMI fosters antibiotics research amidst Big Pharma pullbacks

The Accelerator is part of the IMI2’s €434m Call 15 for proposals and will consist of three pillars funded with up to €144m:

• a capability-building network that will manage the projects of the Accelerator and deliver pre-competive academic and SME research enabling future drug discovery and improved infection models;
• a drug development network for tuberculosis aimed at acclererating discovery of novel combination treatments;
• company-specific portfolio-building networks that cover preventive and therapeutic approaches to fight AMR.

AMR Accelerator is expected to deliver more than ten preclinical drug candidates and more than five programmes ready for Phase II testing. The AMR Accelerator “represents a strategic, coordinated response to one of the biggest challenges facing the world today,” said Pierre Meulien, IMI Executive Director.
The IMI2’s move comes at a time in which Sanofi has licenced its early antimicrobial pipeline to Evotec and in which Novartis has abandoned R&D into antimicrobials.
Meanwhile, the US government is taking steps to incentivise antimicrobial development. A bipartisan bill plans to offer companies that bring “priority” antimicrobial products to market an award of 12 additional months of market exclusivity. The award can be conveyed to any drug, split, and even sold – an asset potentially worth hundreds of millions.
Life Science decision-makers, business developers, investors, and legal experts will discuss models to revive the antimicrobial market at the 2019 Berlin Conference on Life Sciences.