Novexel's NXL104 enters Ph I testing

Paris, France-based Novexel says that its beta-lactamase inhibitor, NXL104, has advanced into Phase I clinical testing. The firm noted that it is the only clinical-stage drug of its kind that could potentially respond to the emerging resistance in gram-negative bacteria mediated by class C beta-lactamases. These enzymes are one of the most important mechanisms of bacterial resistance against the widely-used lactam antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins and carbapenems.

Novexel is currently developing the agent for intravenous administration in combination with the third-generation cephalosporin, ceftazidime, to treat nosocomial infections caused by gram-negative pathogens. NXL104's spectrum of activity includes broad coverage of both class A and class C beta-lactamases, and it thus protects co-administered beta-lactam antibiotics from degradation by these enzymes, the firm noted.