Basilea Secures Expanded BARDA Funding for Development of Ceftibuten-Ledaborbactam Etzadroxil, Advance Oral Antibiotic for Complicated UTIs

Basilea Pharmaceutica has received an additional USD 5.4 million in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The funding will support the continued development of ceftibuten-ledaborbactam etzadroxil, an investigational oral beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) combination being developed to treat complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs), including pyelonephritis.

David Veitch, Chief Executive Officer of Basilea, said: “We thank BARDA for their continued collaboration and support for the development of novel anti-infectives to help patients with severe infections. This specific funding helps us to further advance our novel antibiotic ceftibuten-ledaborbactam, which addresses the critical unmet need for a new oral treatment of cUTIs caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.” 

With this latest award, BARDA has now committed a total of USD 30.8 million to Basilea for the program. The investigational therapy is intended to address serious bacterial infections by providing a novel oral treatment option for patients with complicated UTIs, an area where effective therapies are increasingly needed due to rising antimicrobial resistance.

The existing BARDA contract has the potential to provide up to USD 172 million in non-dilutive funding over its duration, including approximately USD 14 million allocated before the contract was transferred to Basilea. The continued financial support underscores the strategic importance of advancing new antibiotics to combat drug-resistant bacterial infections.