Biotech, Cystic Fibrosis, Antibiotics

EU Spurns Gilead’s Aztreonam

Luke Timmerman 3/20/09

Gilead Sciences, the Foster City, CA-based biotech company that has a research center in Seattle, said a scientific committee of the European Union adopted a negative opinion of its aztreonam lysine drug. The treatment, an inhalable antibiotic for cystic fibrosis developed by Seattle-based Corus Pharma, was turned down by the FDA last fall. EU regulators said Gilead needs more evidence about long-term benefits, repeated treatments in different age groups, and risk of bacterial resistance, said Thomas Russo, an analyst with Robert W. Baird.

Luke Timmerman is the National Biotechnology Editor for Xconomy. You can e-mail him at ltimmerman@xconomy.com, call 206-624-2374, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ldtimmerman.