The PASTEUR Act

Two US lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill to create a new payment model to encourage drug developers to develop new classes of antibiotics.

It’s called the PASTEUR Act, which will facilitate upfront payments to companies in exchange for unlimited access to their antibiotics. In turn, drug makers can recover their costs and turn a profit, before selling large volumes of product. 

Relevant extracts include:

• An antimicrobial drug developer can apply to receive a ‘critical need antimicrobial’ designation
• Contracts will range from $750 million to $3 billion and will be paid out over a period of up to 10 years or through the length of patent exclusivity

Botanix Pharmaceuticals wholeheartedly welcomes this news. As we enter a critical period of R&D for our BTX 1801 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) platform, this is a significant endorsement of the immediate need for novel antibiotics and further evidence of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical influencers prioritising expedited and significant expenditure in this space.

Read a summary of the bill here.