Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc (IPIX)

[slcimmuno]

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Macrolides Pharmaceuticals

Harvard antibiotics spinout gets $22M in A-lister cash and Big Pharma's attention
www.fiercebiotech.com/story/harvard-antibiotic-spinout-gets-22m-lister-cash-and-big-pharmas-attention/2015-03-04

EXCERPT
And the biotech is launching today with $22 million in venture cash from an impressive group of venture backers, with three Big Pharmas in the VC mix and some early shots at a possible early-stage marquee deal.

[...]

Myers' breakthrough in synthesizing macrolides--constructing them out of "basic industrial chemicals," says Miller--leaves the company at an early stage of development with a two- to three-year march to the clinic. But Miller adds that Myers has already synthesized more than 200 macrolides, and with three Big Pharma venture groups behind them, they've already been approached by a couple of large pharmas interested in striking a preclinical collaboration.

[...]

The Big Pharma interest in the A round underscores a resurgence in the field. As Miller notes, when he and Myers started Tetraphase in 2006, there was little industry interest in antibiotics, which had been largely marginalized. Now, though, Roche ($RHHBY) and others have been keen to grow in the field, seeing fresh prospects as the U.S. adds fresh incentives for developers.