Completion of a phase 1 and launch of a phase 2 clinical trial in Japan for an antibiotic has earned Chapel Hill-based Cempra a $10 million milestone payment.
Cempra (Nasdaq: CEMP) received the payment from Japan-based Toyama Chemical, which is a subsidiary of Fuji Film Holdings.
Toyama owns the rights to the Cempra treatment known as solithromycin in Japan. It is being developed as a treatment for respiratory tract infections.
“We are very pleased with our partner, Toyama Chemical Company, a leading antibacterial company that has several decades of experience in developing and commercializing novel antibiotics in Japan, the second largest antibiotic market in the world,” said Prabhavathi Fernandes, Cempra’s chief executive orfficer, in a statement.
“We are pleased with our strong relationship and have benefited from frequent information and data exchange because of Toyama’s strong antibiotic drug development experience. This milestone payment illustrates the progress Toyama is making toward bringing this important and needed antibiotic option to patients in Japan. We look forward to their continued progress in their clinical program which will complement our own.”
