• Monday, April 9, 2018 @ 12:00 am

Basel, Switzerland, April 09, 2018 - Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd. (SIX: BSLN) announced today that its partner Avir Pharma Inc. ("Avir Pharma") has launched Basilea's hospital antibiotic Zevtera® (ceftobiprole) in Canada.

David Veitch, Chief Commercial Officer, said: "We are very pleased with the launch of Zevtera in Canada. We look forward to Zevtera being available to patients in Canada as a new treatment option."

Zevtera is approved in Canada for the treatment of adult patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), excluding ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).1

Basilea entered into a distribution and license agreement for Zevtera and the antifungal Cresemba® (isavuconazole) with Avir Pharma in June 2017. Basilea supplies Avir Pharma with products at a transfer price and is eligible to receive further regulatory and sales milestone payments.

About Zevtera® (ceftobiprole)
Ceftobiprole is a cephalosporin antibiotic for intravenous administration with rapid bactericidal activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including methicillin-susceptible and resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA, MRSA) and susceptible Pseudomonas spp.2Ceftobiprole is approved for the treatment of adult patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), excluding ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).1, 2 It is marketed in major European countries, Argentina and Canada. Basilea has entered into license and distribution agreements for the brand in Europe, Latin America, China, Canada, Israel, and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Ceftobiprole is currently in a phase 3 clinical program for registration in the U.S.

About hospital-acquired and community-acquired pneumonia
Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections and has been shown to have among the highest mortality rates of all hospital-acquired infections.3 Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most frequent causes of hospital-acquired pneumonia.4 Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a common condition with up to 60% of the patients requiring hospital admission and intravenous antibiotics.5 Prompt empiric intervention with an appropriate broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment is considered a best medical practice. The increasing incidence of bacteria resistant to many established antibiotics is a major concern.

You may also be interested in