Spero Gets Grant of $54M for Biodefense R&D for SPR994
Spero Therapeutics granted $15.7 million for research on SPR994, its oral carbapenem-class candidate, to study the drug’s efficacy against biological threats like anthrax, plague and melioidosis as a part of an interagency collaboration. The funds' provider, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, promised an additional grant of $28.5 million over five years to support the antibiotic developer’s clinical development of SPR994 in complicated urinary tract infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria. Moreover, the Defence Threat Reduction Agency promised a preliminary $1.25 million to fund the nonclinical aspects of the project, with up to $8.75 million in milestone payments. The Cambridge, Massachusetts based Spero revealed in a statement that federal agencies plan to provide a total of $54.2 million in funding for the clinical development and biodefense assessments of SPR994, subject to options by BARDA and other milestones. Tebipenem, an active i...