Toronto, Ontario (March 21, 2018) — Verity Pharmaceuticals Inc. is pleased to announce an exclusive Canadian licensing agreement with InfectoPharm Arzneimittel und Consilium GmbH for the introduction of Intravenous Fosfomycin for the Canadian hospital market.

Under the terms of the agreement, InfectoPharm will supply the finished product and Verity will market and distribute. Intravenous Fosfomycin is an anti-infective with proven activity against difficult to treat pathogens which have become resistant to other anti-infective options available in Canada.

Fulfilling an unmet need

At Verity, the focus is on commercializing therapeutically relevant and required products for the Canadian healthcare community. Intravenous Fosfomycin has a proven track record in Europe, the UK, and Japan, delivering both safety and efficacy for more than 40 years. Its unique structure and novel mechanism of action distinguishes it from all other marketed classes of antimicrobial agents and has allowed for its continued use with little or no bacterial resistance.

“We anticipate that Intravenous Fosfomycin will be a much needed therapeutic option for difficult to treat multidrug-resistant organisms. To that end, InfectoPharm has been an excellent partner to work with and is currently assisting us in preparing our submission to Health Canada for regulatory review of this agent.” – Howard Glase, CEO and General Manager, Verity Pharma.

Antimicrobial resistance on the rise

“Whether in Canada or worldwide, hospitals are facing the growing presence of infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant, multidrug-resistant (MDR), and extensively-drug-resistant (XDR) pathogens 1-6. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists new antimicrobials as one of the potential solutions to infections caused by resistant superbugs. But, treatment options for antimicrobial-resistant, MDR, and XDR organisms can be severely limited. Based on the new CANWARD study* on antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in Canadian tertiary care hospitals, there is an urgent need for new antimicrobials in Canada. Long term, international experience with IV Fosfomycin, and its inclusion on the WHO’s list of essential antibiotics for both adults and children, suggests it will be a valued agent for Infectious Disease experts to consider.” – Dr. Neil Fleshner MD, MPH, FRCSC, Chief Medical Officer, Verity Scientific Advisory Board.

About InfectoPharm

Established 30 years ago and located in Heppenheim Germany, InfectoPharm’s product portfolio focuses on paediatric infectious diseases, clinical infectious diseases, pulmonology, and dermatology. “We are excited to work with Verity Pharmaceuticals to introduce Intravenous Fosfomycin to Canada and provide infectious disease experts with a proven therapeutic agent for various clinical infectious diseases and drug-resistant pathogens.” – Dr. Markus Rudolph, Managing Director, InfectoPharm Arzneimittel und Consilium.

About Verity Pharma

Verity Pharma is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on providing therapeutically relevant legacy agents to the Canadian health care community. Our mandate is to ensure access to prescription products that have been withdrawn from the market, are in short supply, or have not yet been made available in Canada. Intravenous Fosfomycin is just one of several important products on track for launch by Verity Pharma in 2018 and 2019.

*The Canadian Antimicrobial Resistance Alliance (CARA), CANWARD Study.

References

1. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241564748 2014.
2. Rubinstein E, Zhanel GG. Anti-infectives research and development problems challenges and solutions: The clinical practitioner perspective. Lancet Infect Dis 2007; 7: 69‑71.
3. Grundmann H, Livermore DM, Giske CG et al. Carbapenem-non-susceptible Enterobacteriaceae in Europe: conclusions from a meeting of national experts. Euro Surveill 2010; 15: pii: 19711.
4. Zhanel GG, DeCorby M, Laing N et al. Antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in intensive care units in Canada: Results of the Canadian National Intensive Care Unit (CAN-ICU) Study, 2005-2006. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2008; 52: 1430‑7.
5. Zhanel GG, DeCorby M, Adam H et al. Prevalence of antimicrobial resistant pathogens in Canadian hospitals: Results of the Canadian ward surveillance study (CANWARD 2008). Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2010; 54: 4684‑93.
6. Zhanel GG, Adam HJ, Baxter M et al. Antimicrobial susceptibility of 42,938 pathogens isolated from patients in Canadian hospitals. CANWARD study 2007-2016. American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Microbe, Nouvelle-Orléans, LA, 2017.