Chemeq claims first blood in battle against superbugs

Western Australian biotech Chemeq is claiming an early victory against against so-called 'superbugs', or antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria.

Chemeq says it has demonstrated that its polymeric antimicrobial is active against vancomycin-resistant Enterococci.

According to CEO Dr Graham Melrose, Chemeq's drug has been shown in vitro to kill both antibiotic-resistant and susceptible strains of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium at the relatively low concentration of 120 parts per million.

"Obviously there is still a lot of work to be done, but so far so good," said Melrose.

Previous studies have indicated that the drug is also effective against Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria responsible for the majority of gastric ulcers.

"Helicobacter and Enterococci would probably be the two biggest markets in the world for enteric infections," Melrose said.

In addition, the company plans to examine the activity of the drug against other pathogens of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, he said. Chemeq's drug is particularly useful in these applications as it is unable to cross the lining of the intestines into the blood stream and is harmlessly excreted in an inactive form after passing through the GI tract.

The research is part of Chemeq's program to ascertain the potential human health applications for its technology, which was originally developed for use in veterinary applications Chemeq claims are worth $AUD9 billion per annum.

Melrose said the company was working to determine what further studies would be required before the drug could be taken into human clinical trials.

Chemeq also announced this week that its new manufacturing facility had been completed to the lock-up phase. Commissioning of the plant, which has been expanded to allow production of up to 750 tonnes per annum, is expected to begin in August.

At the time of writing, Chemeq's share price (ASX: CMQ) had risen seven per cent to $AUD3.64.