MicuRx Pharmaceuticals Completed the First Subject Dosing of MRX-8 (a New Drug Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria) in China

Recently, Shanghai MicuRx Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (“MicuRx Pharmaceuticals”, SHSE: 688373) announced the completion of the first subject administration of MRX-8, its independently-developed new drug against gram-negative drug-resistant bacteria, in the Phase I clinical trial of China, which marks the entry to the substantial stage in the clinical development of MRX-8 in China.

MRX-8, a polymyxin-class drug, primarily used to treat infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, has the same antibacterial spectrum as the existing drugs colistin and polymyxin B, and is also therapeutic against carbapenem-resistant negative bacteria, a superbug and the most “serious threat” to human health as defined by the World Health Organization. The Phase 1 clinical trials of MRX-8 has completed in the US previously. The ongoing Phase 1 clinical trial in China is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1 clinical trial to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profile of MRX-8 administered intravenously in healthy Chinese subjects and is expected to be completed in 2023.

MicuRx Pharmaceuticals has carried out targeted development based on the problems on safety and manufacturing process existing in polymyxins. In the early stage of compound design, combining with antibacterial activity screening, simultaneous structure-activity relationship and structure-toxicity relationship study, the company introduced innovative “soft drug” design ideas, established an evaluation model of nephrotoxicity, and finally obtained MRX-8 molecules with both efficacy and safety.

Both Contezolid, a product of MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, that has been approved for marketing in China, and MRX-4, that is undergoing international multicenter Phase III clinical studies, are new oxazolidinone drugs for the effective treatment of infections by Gram-positive drug-resistant bacteria. MicuRx Pharmaceuticals is constantly improving its pipeline of new drugs against bacterial infections, which will basically cover the main “superbugs” that pose a significant threat to human health.

About MicuRx Pharmaceuticals

MicuRx is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on novel therapeutics for infectious diseases. With global independent intellectual property and competitiveness, we are committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative drugs for unmet medical needs. Since the company was founded in 2007, MicuRx has adhered to the principle of “Better therapy through superior medicine”, focusing on the increasingly serious problem of global antimicrobial resistance. With the core competitiveness of solving clinical problems and differentiated innovation, our goal is to provide more effective and safer therapeutic options for patients suffering the most common and serious drug-resistant bacterial infections.