MGB Biopharma and FDA discuss MGB-BP-3 regulatory strategy

MGB Biopharma has held a pre-Investigational New Drug (pre-IND) meeting with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the regulatory strategy for the development programme of MGB-BP-3 in the US.

MGB Biopharma presented available Phase I and preclinical data together with a proposal for the further clinical development of oral MGB-BP-3 in Clostridium difficile infections (CDI). Following this positive meeting, MGB Biopharma are now in the process of obtaining a designation of Qualified Infections Disease Product (QIDP) status for MGB-BP-3, and are starting to prepare for the clinical Phase II study.

MGB-BP-3 is an antibiotic that has shown to be active against a broad range of important multi-resistant and susceptible Gram-positive pathogens. The oral formulation of the antibiotic is being developed by MGB Biopharma specifically for the treatment of Clostridium difficile, a Gram-positive bacterium responsible for the majority of infectious hospital-acquired diarrhoea in developed countries.

Successful completion of the clinical Phase I study confirmed MGB-BP-3 was well tolerated in healthy volunteers, was not systemically absorbed, had no effect on intestinal permeability, and had a noted effect on the Clostridium class of normal gut flora.

‘Clear guidelines’

Commenting on the meeting, Dr Miroslav Ravic, CEO of MGB Biopharma, said, “We are extremely pleased with the support we have received from the FDA with regards to our plans to further progress the clinical development of oral MGB-BP-3. We are now planning to initiate a Phase II clinical trial and investigate the safety and efficacy of MGB-BP-3 in patients with CDI, caused by the most virulent ribotype of C. difficile known as C. difficile B1/NAP1/027. This ribotype is shown to cause the highest morbidity and mortality in CDI patients, where the current therapy has only moderate efficacy.”

Dr Ravic added, “Our discussions with the FDA have provided clear guidelines on the development path we need to take to bring our truly novel antibiotic MGB-BP-3 to market in the shortest possible time. In parallel with our clinical development activities we are now evaluating partnering and funding sources for this exciting opportunity, which we believe will offer a clearly differentiated treatment option for patients with life threatening infections caused by resistant Clostridium difficile.”