Innovation in Biotech?

In examining the late stage pipeline for antibiotics in biotech, I have been disappointed.

Antimicrobial Compounds in Development by Biotech.
Compound		Manufacturer		Company of origin		Status
Dalbavancin		Pfizer from Vicuron		Merrell Marion Dow		Unknown
Iclaprim		Arpida		Roche		Failed in US
Oritavancin		Targanta		Lilly		Failed in US
Telavancin		Theravance		Theravance		Approved
Ceftibiprole		Basilea-Johnson&Johnson (J&J)		Roche		Delayed in US
Cethromycin		Advanced Life Sciences		Abbott		Failed in US
Doripenem		Peninsula J&J		Shionogi		Approved
EDP-420		Enanta		Enanta		Ph. II
Faropenem		Replidyne		Daiichi Suntory		Failed in US
Ceftaroline		Cerexa/Forest		Takeda		Submitted for approval
NXL-104		Novexel		Aventis		Phase II
NXL-103		Novexel		Aventis		Phase II
PTK-0796		Paratek - Novartis		Paratek		Phase III
Torezolid		Trius		Dong-A		Ph. II
Radezolid		Rib-X		Rib-X		Ph II

In this table, the Ph. II or later stage systemic antibacterial compounds in bold are those that were actually discovered in biotech and not in large Pharma. I only count four out of the 15 total, from Theravance (now approved in the US), Enanta, Rib-X and Paratek. (I have not included Optimer whose OPT-80 for CDAD is apparently home grown. Nor have I included several quinolones being developed in biotech – all licensed from larger pharmaceutical companies).

But – I finally have something to be optimistic about. Several biotechs are nearing Ph. II development with compounds actually innovated within their biotechs. Nabriva has a series of pleuromutilins ready for Ph. II trials. They are active against Gram-positive skin pathogens and both typical and atypical respiratory pathogens. Tetraphase has a lead molecule with broad-spectrum activity that comes out of a novel and exciting method of synthesis of tetracyclines also poised for Ph. II trials. Achaogen has a lead aminoglycoside that they discovered which is ready for Ph. II. Maybe innovation in biotech is going to actually produce some new antibiotics active against resistant pathogens. This would be welcome news for us all. I just hope that when these companies are ready, there will still be a few large pharmas around as potential partners.