GNA NOW kicks off its battle against antimicrobial resistance
22 August 2019
On July 1st, a new partnership launched in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. GNA NOW (Gram-Negative Antibacterials NOW) will work on the development of novel antibacterial agents against antimicrobial resistance in gram-negative bacteria. The project is a multi-stakeholder effort, led by Evotec and managed by Lygature, with other partners from academia, industry and SMEs: Nosopharm, BIOASTER, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, North Bristol National Health Service Trust, University of Liverpool, Inserm, Erasmus Medical Center, Medical University of Vienna, and Fraunhofer IME.
In 2015, antibiotic-resistant bacteria were already estimated to be responsible for 670,000 infections and 33,110 attributable deaths in the EU and European Economic Area (EEA). Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could kill up to ten million people every year by 2050. The development of new antibiotics is of great importance in the fight against AMR. Gram-negative bacteria, which GNA NOW focuses on, were at the top of a priority pathogens list published by the World Health Organization.
Collectively, the GNA NOW partnership will advance three programmes in parallel with the goal of bringing one through completion of Phase I studies and one reaching Investigational New Drug (IND) stage and/or up to two programmes reaching clinical development candidate stage by 2024.
GNA NOW is supported by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), a joint initiative between the European Commission and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), in the form of a €12 million grant over the next six years.
Lygature plays a pivotal role in amalgamating the partnership, creating one coherent research consortium. As an independent enabler, Lygature focuses entirely on making the collaboration work for the benefit of all partners, ensuring valuable output for the development of new antimicrobial agents. Furthermore, Lygature provides governance in terms of program, finance, collaboration and communication support.
GNA NOW contributes to Lygature’s mission of accelerating the development of new medical solutions for patients. We are excited to be part of this important project working on new solutions against antimicrobial resistance.