Cempra's bacterial skin infection drug succeeds in key study

[February 24, 2017]  (Reuters) - Cempra Inc said on Friday that its oral experimental drug to treat acute bacterial skin infections met the main goal of a late-stage study, sending the company's shares surging about 40 percent in premarket trading.

The drug, fusidic acid, was found as effective as the oral antibiotic linezolid, originally developed by Pfizer Inc, in patients with serious acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI), Cempra said.

These infections involve deep tissue or are associated with an underlying disease such as diabetes, and tend to be caused by serious gram-positive bacteria.

ABSSSI leads to hospitalization of about 5.2 million patients in the United States and Western Europe each year and is often treated with intravenous therapies.

Drugmakers need to constantly devise new therapies to fight bacterial infections as patients build up resistance to older antibiotics.

Cempra said only six of the patients given fusidic acid in the 716-patient study had serious side-effects, compared with eight patients treated with linezolid.

One patient being treated with linezolid died due to an illicit overdose, the company said.

Cempra said it plans to meet with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to chart a path for the drug's approval.

The company's stock was up about 40 percent to $4.40 in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Natalie Grover in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

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