Acurx Expands Global Patent Portfolio With Korea Grant For Novel Antibiotic Platform, Strengthens DNA Polymerase IIIC Inhibitor Program For Resistant Infections

Acurx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the Korean Intellectual Property Office has granted a new patent covering its DNA Polymerase IIIC inhibitors. The patent includes compositions of matter, methods of use, and pharmaceutical formulations, further strengthening the company’s intellectual property portfolio across key global markets.

With this latest addition, Acurx now holds four U.S. patents along with multiple international patents across countries including Japan, India, Australia, Israel, and Korea. These protections support the company’s ACX-375C program, which targets DNA Polymerase IIIC, a bacterial enzyme essential for DNA replication in Gram-positive pathogens. Additional patent applications are still under review in other regions.

Robert J. DeLuccia, Executive Chairman of Acurx, stated: "Achieving this new patent extends our patent estate protection as we further develop our innovative, AI-supported drug discovery platform. We believe Acurx's preclinical pipeline of systemically-absorbed compounds has the potential to create a transformational shift in the treatment paradigm of serious and potentially life-threatening infections such as acute bacterial skin and skin-structure infections (ABSSSI, including MRSA), Community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP), hospital and/or ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP), bacteremia with or without sepsis and/or infectious endocarditis, bone/joint infections, prosthetic joint infections and inhalational anthrax, caused by B. anthracis, a Bioterrorism Category A Threat-Level pathogen. Recently presented microbiome selectivity data on representative novel compounds provide initial evidence that microbiome selectivity, when compared to the comparator antibiotic, linezolid, may be a class effect."

Acurx is developing a new class of small molecule antibiotics designed to selectively target Gram-positive bacteria. By inhibiting DNA Polymerase IIIC, these therapies aim to disrupt bacterial replication and effectively eliminate pathogens. The company’s pipeline focuses on serious infections such as Clostridioides difficile, MRSA, VRE, drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, and anthrax.

He further stated: "Our lead DNA pol IIIC inhibitor, ibezapolstat, is ready to advance to international, Phase 3, pivotal registration trials in the US and EU for oral treatment of acute C. difficile Infection. We're also starting up a ground-breaking clinical trial with ibezapolstat in patients with multiply-recurrent CDI (rCDI) that has the potential to shift the treatment paradigm for acute CDI and rCDI from two agents to one."  

Its lead candidate, ibezapolstat, for the treatment of C. difficile infection, is Phase 3-ready, with plans underway to initiate global clinical trials. In parallel, Acurx is advancing preclinical programs for acute bacterial skin infections and exploring development pathways for inhaled anthrax treatments, further expanding its antibiotic innovation strategy.