Optimer Pharmaceuticals Licenses Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic From Nippon Shinyaku.SAN DIEGO -- Optimer Pharmaceuticals has acquired exclusive rights from Nippon Shinyaku Co. Ltd. to develop and commercialize prulifloxacin in the USA. Prulifloxacin is a fluoroquinolone fluoroquinolone /flu·o·ro·quin·o·lone/ (-kwin´o-lon) any of a subgroup of fluorine-substituted quinolones, having a broader spectrum of activity than nalidixic acid. fluor·o·quin·o·lone n. antibiotic prescribed in Japan for the treatment of various bacterial diseases including respiratory and urinary tract infections, skin infections, infectious enteritis enteritis (ĕn'tərī`tĭs), inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Acute enteritis is not usually serious except in infants and older people, in whom the accompanying diarrhea can cause dehydration through the loss of fluids. , cystitis cystitis (sĭstī`tĭs), common acute or chronic inflammation of the urinary bladder. The disease occurs primarily in young women and frequently results from bacterial invasion of the urethra from the adjacent rectum, most commonly with and prostatitis prostatitis (prŏs'tətī`tĭs), inflammation of the prostate gland. Acute prostatitis is usually a result of infection in the urinary tract or infection carried by the blood; in many cases the infection spreads from the urethra and is . Fluoroquinolones are a class of antibiotics that has experienced significant growth in recent years because of their effectiveness against disease-causing bacteria, including those that cause anthrax. Under a separate agreement with Nippon Shinyaku, Meiji Seika Kaisha Co. Ltd. currently markets prulifloxacin in Japan, and Angelini ACRAF ACRAF Aziende Chimiche Riunite Angelini Francesco (Italy) ACRAF Artists Civil Rights Assistance Fund SpA will begin marketing prulifloxacin in Italy this year. "Optimer is very pleased to enter into a business relationship with Nippon Shinyaku, a company with a reputation for strong management and product discovery," said Michael Chang, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Optimer. "Since 2002, prulifloxacin has been used in Japan to treat a wide variety of infectious diseases. Adding this product to Optimer's portfolio greatly strengthens the Company's position as a developer of anti-infective therapies, accelerating our commercial development by several years." "Prulifloxacin is a novel fluoroquinolone antibiotic with broad spectrum activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and has a high reputation for efficacy and safety. Optimer has excellent expertise in developing anti-infective products, so we are very glad to collaborate with Optimer to explore and expand the possibility of prulifloxacin in the US market," stated Kazuto Hatsuyama, president, Nippon Shinyaku. Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc. (San Diego, Calif., www.optimerpharma.com) is an emerging biotechnology company focused on the research and development of anti-infective products to treat serious bacterial infections. Optimer's core drug discovery technologies are licensed from Scripps Research Institute and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City is a cancer treatment and research institution founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital. The main campus is located at 1275 York Avenue, between 67th and 68th Streets, with other locations in New . The Company has a solid portfolio of preclinical and clinical stage antibiotic compounds. Optimer's other compound in clinical development is OPT80, a narrow spectrum antibiotic for the treatment of Clostridium difficile Clostridium difficile A common cause of bacterial colitis; it is the causative agent in 99% of pseudomembranous colitis, and 20-30% of antibiotic-associated diarrhea associated diarrhea. Nippon Shinyaku Co. Ltd. (Kyoto, Japan, www.nippon-shinyaku.co.jp), founded in 1919, is an R&D oriented pharmaceutical company. The Company specializes in the development, manufacture and sale of ethical drugs for the treatment of urological, inflammatory and allergic diseases, and hematologic malignancies. In fiscal year 2003, Nippon Shinyaku recorded net income of $14.5 million ($0.20 per share) on revenues of $484 million. |
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