The agreement covers novel classes of antibiotics resulting from Rib-X’s RX-04 program which have demonstrated antibacterial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive pathogens.
As per the terms of the agreement, Sanofi is responsible to pay a sum of $10m as an upfront payment plus an additional $9m as research-based milestones to Rib-X.
Rib-X will also get research, preclinical, regulatory and commercial milestone payments from Sanofi.
The agreement also allows Sanofi to develop multi products, except for those assets licensed to Sanofi through the agreement, Rib-X retains its rights to the discovery platform and its future programs.
Further, Rib-X retains a co-promotion option in the US on one of the molecules coming from the collaboration.
Rib-X president and CEO Mark Leuchtenberger said RX-04 program’s completely novel classes of antibiotics should lead to true breakthrough therapies and they look forward to working in partnership with Sanofi to advance these treatments into the clinic and eventually bring them to the global market.
"Importantly, this agreement will enable Rib-X to aggressively advance our clinical stage candidates, delafloxacin and radezolid, towards pivotal trials and support additional discovery-stage programs like RX-05 and RX-06," Leuchtenberger said.