Sanofi Pasteur Partners with KaloBios on Novel Biologic for P. aeruginosa Infections

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of the Sanofi-Aventis Group (Lyon, France), has signed an agreement with KaloBios Pharmaceuticals (South San Francisco, CA) for the development of humanized antibody fragment to both treat and prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sanofi Pasteur acquires worldwide rights to KaloBios’s technology for all disease indications related to P. aeruginosa infections except cystic fibrosis, and bronchiectasis, which Sanofi Pasteur has the option to obtain at a later date. KaloBios has already completed Phase 1 clinical trials and a small proof-of-concept Phase 2 clinical trial in mechanically ventilated patients.

The two primary target indications for the antibody are the prevention of P. aeruginosa associated pneumonia in mechanically ventilated patients in hospitals and the prevention of relapses and potential improvement of treatment outcomes in patients with an ongoing P. aeruginosa infection.

This is the third announcement from Sanofi Pasteur in the last month on product development for nosocomial infections. On December 16, Sanofi Pasteur announced an agreement with Syntiron (St. Paul, MN) for the development, manufacture, and commercialization of a vaccine to prevent Staphylococcus infections, and on December 15, the company announced that its Phase 2 vaccine trial to prevent Clostridium difficile—one of the most common causes of hospital-acquired infection in Europe and the US—has expanded into the US from the UK.