PolyMedix, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing new therapeutic drugs to treat patients with acute infectious diseases and cardiovascular disorders, announced that its lead defensin-mimetic antibiotic, PMX-30063, has shown activity in an in vitro laboratory test against the NDM-1 drug resistant strain of Klebsiella pneumonia. NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1) is an enzyme carried by some bacteria that are resistant to many antibiotics, including carbapenems. PMX-30063 is currently being studied in a phase 2 clinical trial in patients for treatment of Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections caused by Staph bacteria.

“NDM-1 resistant bacteria are an emerging infectious threat of growing concern to the medical community,” commented Nicholas Landekic, president & CEO of PolyMedix. “We believe PMX-30063, with its unique mechanism of action that makes the development of resistance unlikely, has the potential to represent a novel approach to address this mounting problem.”

These data were presented in March 2011 to the medical community at the SuperBugs SuperDrugs conference in London by Dr. Richard Scott, vice president of research at PolyMedix. At the same conference, Dr Scott also presented results with PolyMedix’s defensin-mimetic antimicrobial compounds related to additional indications, including activity against Candida albicans for oral candidiasis. These results, along with data showing anti-inflammatory properties of PolyMedix’s defensin-mimetic compounds, were published in a recent issue of Molecular Oral Microbiology. These anti-inflammatory properties may be important and beneficial in the treatment of a variety of infectious disorders, and appear to be a distinct characteristic not seen in many other antibiotic agents.

“We are very excited by the breadth and scope of our defensin-mimetic antibiotic compounds,” commented Dr Scott. “We continue to demonstrate expanded spectrums of activities, most recently against anthrax and NDM-1 drug resistant strains. In addition, our demonstration of inherent anti-inflammatory activity is potentially an important distinction versus other antibiotics. We remain dedicated to exploring the potential for our compounds to address a number of increasingly troubling infectious diseases, including fungal infections, malaria, tuberculosis, and food borne pathogens.”

PolyMedix is a publicly traded biotechnology company focused on the development of novel drugs for the treatment of serious infectious diseases and acute cardiovascular disorders.