Cobra Biologics Ltd, the International clinical and commercial manufacturer of biologics and pharmaceuticals and Novolytics, a biotechnology company developing anti-infective products, have announced a breakthrough in the development of two Staphylococcus aureus based phage products for Phase I clinical trials with a 100 fold increase in upstream process yields.
An existing process was transferred to Cobra’s phage team and a scope of work undertaken to further develop the process in order to increase yields for the two Staphylococcus aureus based phage products. The controlled, high yield process provides Novolytics with a clear path forward to producing suitable GMP material for human clinical trials.
The worldwide emergence of “superbugs” such as MRSA, has coincided with the virtual drying up of new antibiotic drug development. We are threatened with a return to the pre-antibiotic era when bacterial infections caused over 50% of all deaths. Novolytics aims to lead the way in utilising nature’s own natural antidote, bacteriophages. The company’s lead product, NOVO12, is a phage cocktail administered as a gel for topical treatment of MRSA infections.
Cobra is set to present its methodology, approach, and acquired expertise in phage manufacture at the Phages 2013 conference taking place in Oxford, UK, September 2013. For further information please visit: Phages 2013 .
Peter Coleman CEO of Cobra Biologics commented: “It is very exciting to be engaged with such novel phage products and to be actively assisting pioneering companies like Novolytics to introduce ground breaking anti-infectives. The phage team has considerable experience in developing processes for such novel products and looks forward to working closely with Novolytics.”
John Hardcastle, CEO of Novolytics remarked: “Cobra is helping Novolytics to produce bacteriophage cocktails that remain therapeutically active when produced to GMP standard and on an industrial scale. This is a critical factor for successful exploitation of the exciting potential that phage therapy offers.”
For more information about Cobra Biologics, please contact Peter Coleman, CEO, on +44 (0)1782 714181 or email peter.coleman@cobrabio.com
About Cobra Biologics
Cobra Biologics is a leading international contract manufacturing organisation (CMO) of biologics and pharmaceuticals for clinical and commercial supply. Cobra has three GMP approved facilities, each with expertise tailored to serving our customers across the world. We offer a broad range of integrated and stand-alone contract services, stretching from cell line and process development through to fill and finish for the supply of investigational medicinal products and commercial production. We take pride in manufacturing excellence and being a trusted provider, delivering what we promise and helping our customers to develop medicines for the benefit of patients. Cobra Biologics provides manufacturing solutions to the pharmaceutical industry covering antibodies, recombinant proteins, viruses, phage, DNA, whole cell vaccines and therapeutics as well as biologics and small molecule API lyophilisation and fill finish.
For more information please visit: www.cobrabio.com
About Novolytics
Novolytics seeks to combat the threat posed by antibiotic resistant pathogens using bacteriophages. Formed as a spin-out from the University of Warwick, the Company is one of a handful of Biotechnology companies that is pioneering a commercially viable pathway for the therapeutic use of bacteriophages. It has proprietary technology and is actively working with groups across Europe to make the benefits of phage therapy available to the Western world.
For more information please visit: www.novolytics.co.uk
