Ceragenix licenses Ceragenins to FirstPoint

The USA's Ceragenix Pharmaceuticals has entered into a license agreement with FirstPoint Biotech, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in San Francisco, California, for the development of CSA-54 and other members of the Ceragenin family of preclinical compounds for use as potential systemic and topical therapies in the treatment and prevention of HIV and sexually-transmitted diseases. The deal covers the potential use of these compounds as both drugs and as part of medical devices such as condoms, sprays or gels.

According to the terms of the accord, FirstPoint will undertake the clinical development and commercialization of these compounds within these fields of use and Ceragenix will provide ongoing consultation. The agreement provides for payment of milestones and royalties. Additional financial terms were not disclosed.

As previously reported by the company, researchers from Vanderbilt University have found that CSA-54 potently inhibits HIV infection of primary human CD4+ T cells, the virus' in vivo targets, and was not toxic to epithelial cells at concentrations significantly higher than those required to kill the virus. In addition, CSA-54 killed a wide range of HIV isolates, and completely blocked genetically-engineered HIV that enters the cells independent of the cell surface receptor the virus normally uses.