Summit Therapeutics plc Summit Discovers Multiple New Mechanism Antibiotics Against Novel Eskape Pathogen Targets

 
TIDMSUMM 
 
   Summit Therapeutics plc 
 
   ('Summit' or the 'Company') 
 
   Summit Discovers Multiple New Mechanism Antibiotics Against Novel ESKAPE 
Pathogen Targets 
 
 
   -- Discovery Enabled by Discuva Platform and Proprietary Bacterial Libraries 
 
 
   Oxford, UK, and Cambridge, MA, US, 6 September 2018 -- Summit 
Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: SMMT, AIM: SUMM), a leader in new mechanism 
antibiotic innovation, announced today the discovery of multiple new 
mechanism antibiotics against novel ESKAPE pathogen targets. Commonly 
referred to as superbugs, the ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, 
Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, 
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp.) collectively comprise the 
leading cause of hospital-acquired infections globally. New classes of 
antibiotics are urgently needed to address these pathogens that are 
increasingly developing resistance to existing antibiotic drug classes. 
 
   "We believe we are building a very different antibiotics company that 
focuses on bringing innovation to an area of high unmet need. With new 
science, we believe the threat of ESKAPE pathogens and other serious 
infectious diseases can potentially be solved," commented Mr Glyn 
Edwards, Chief Executive Officer of Summit. "At the core of our 
innovation is our powerful Discuva Platform. The platform allows us to 
uncover possible new ways to combat the potentially deadly ESKAPE 
pathogens. We can then aim to exploit this knowledge through the 
discovery and development of targeted new mechanism antibiotics." 
 
   Summit's Discuva Platform utilises proprietary libraries of mutant 
bacteria to identify genes which are essential for bacteria to survive. 
Summit's libraries provide coverage across the ESKAPE pathogens. Through 
the Discuva Platform, Summit has identified essential ESKAPE pathogen 
genes, which could represent novel drug targets against these pathogens. 
Several of these targets are now the focus of Summit's drug development 
programmes, with the platform having already discovered potential new 
mechanism antibiotics against them. 
 
   "We believe the identification of novel targets gives us the potential 
to develop the right drugs for the right bacteria, infection and 
patient. That would enable us to ensure that our antibiotics truly meet 
the needs of patients, their treating physicians and healthcare 
providers and to promote antibiotic stewardship," added Dr David Roblin, 
President of R&D of Summit. "We believe this approach will afford us the 
opportunity to replace the current standards of care for these serious 
infections caused by the ESKAPE pathogens and bring potentially 
life-saving treatments to patients." 
 
   About Summit Therapeutics 
 
   Summit Therapeutics is a leader in antibiotic innovation. Our new 
mechanism antibiotics are designed to become the new standards of care 
for the benefit of patients, and create value for payors and healthcare 
providers. We are currently developing new mechanism antibiotics for C. 
difficile infection and gonorrhoea and are using our proprietary Discuva 
Platform to expand our pipeline. For more information, visit 
www.summitplc.com and follow us on Twitter @summitplc. 
 
   This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of 
Article 7 of EU Regulation 596/2014 (MAR). 
 
   Contacts 
 
 
 
 
Summit 
Glyn Edwards / Richard Pye (UK office)    Tel:                  44 (0)1235 443 951 
Erik Ostrowski / Michelle Avery (US office)                        [phone] 
 
Cairn Financial Advisers LLP (Nominated 
 Adviser)                                 Tel:                 [phone] 
Liam Murray / Tony Rawlinson 
 
N+1 Singer (Joint Broker)                 Tel:                 [phone] 
Aubrey Powell / Jen Boorer, Corporate 
 Finance 
 Tom Salvesen, Corporate Broking 
 
Panmure Gordon (Joint Broker)             Tel:                 [phone] 
Freddy Crossley, Corporate Finance 
 James Stearns, Corporate Broking 
 
MSL Group (US)                            Tel:                     [phone] 
                                                        mailto:[e-mail] 
Jon Siegal                                                     [e-mail] 
                                                 --------------------------------- 
 
Consilium Strategic Communications (UK)   Tel:                 [phone] 
Mary-Jane Elliott / Jessica Hodgson /            mailto:[e-mail] 
                                                  [e-mail] 
                                                 --------------------------------- 
Lindsey Neville 
 
 
   Summit Forward-looking Statements 
 
   Any statements in this press release about the Company's future 
expectations, plans and prospects, including but not limited to, 
statements about the potential benefits of the CARB-X award, including 
whether the option segments will be exercised, the clinical and 
preclinical development of the Company's product candidates, the 
therapeutic potential of the Company's product candidates, the potential 
commercialisation of the Company's product candidates, the sufficiency 
of the Company's cash resources, the timing of initiation, completion 
and availability of data from clinical trials, the potential submission 
of applications for marketing approvals and other statements containing 
the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," 
"expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," 
"should," "target," "would," and similar expressions, constitute 
forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities 
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from 
those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of 
various important factors, including: the uncertainties inherent in the 
initiation of future clinical trials, availability and timing of data 
from ongoing and future clinical trials and the results of such trials, 
whether preliminary results from a clinical trial will be predictive of 
the final results of that trial or whether results of early clinical 
trials or preclinical studies will be indicative of the results of later 
clinical trials, expectations for regulatory approvals, laws and 
regulations affecting government contracts and funding awards, 
availability of funding sufficient for the Company's foreseeable and 
unforeseeable operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements 
and other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of filings 
that the Company makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission, 
including the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year 
ended 31 January 2018. Accordingly, readers should not place undue 
reliance on forward-looking statements or information. In addition, any 
forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the 
Company's views only as of the date of this release and should not be 
relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any subsequent 
date. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update any 
forward-looking statements included in this press release. 
 
   -END- 
 
 
 
 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 06, 2018 07:00 ET (11:00 GMT)

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