CARB-X, a biopharma accelerator, is backing 11 companies with the funds, including three that are developing new strains of antibiotics.
The increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria — largely due to over-prescription of antibiotics and their excessive use in animal agriculture — is a worrisome development for global health.
CARB-X launched last year as a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Wellcome Trust, a U.K.-based biomedical-research charity, to spur development of antibiotics and superbug therapeutics.
“Our target is that at a minimum, two products make it to human testing in five years,” Joe Larson, acting deputy director of the HHS agency overseeing CARB-X, told the Washington Post.
The alliance has earmarked $350 million over the next five years towards that goal. The 11 companies that received funds in the round will be able to tap an additional $24 million if they meet certain targets.
This post originally appeared in ImpactAlpha’s daily newsletter. Get The Brief.
Photo credit: NIAID
