Venus Remedies Partners with UK Firm to Develop MET-X for Drug-Resistant Infections

New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) Venus Remedies on Tuesday said it has joined hands with UK-based Infex Therapeutics for the development of MET-X, an innovative metallo-beta-lactamase inhibitor, to tackle infections caused by drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria.

The company has entered into an exclusive licence agreement with Infex for the clinical development of MET-X.

The agreement authorises the drug firm to spearhead the clinical development, registration, and commercialisation of MET-X, in India, Venue Remedies said in a statement.

The initial development phase will focus on integrating MET-X with meropenem to tackle drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria, with Venus holding exclusive marketing rights within India, it added.

Under the terms of the agreement, Venus Remedies will commence with a phase I trial involving healthy volunteers in India, evaluating MET-X in combination with meropenem.

Following successful phase I outcomes, the focus will shift to phase II/III trials targeting drug-resistant Complicated Urinary Tract Infections (cUTIs), prevalent in hospital settings.

India faces a significant burden of MBL-producing pathogens in hospital settings, and no approved MBL inhibitors currently exist in the country.

Meropenem resistance in India is as high as 62-87 per cent, with up to 50 per cent linked to MBL prevalence, according to an ICMR report.

"This early-stage introduction of MET-X into the Indian market leverages our decades-long dedication to AMR-focused R&D and our prominent role in critical care and antibiotic therapies," Venus Remedies President Global Critical Care Saransh Choudhary said.

This partnership is perfectly poised to enhance the company's antibiotic arsenal with meropenem and explore further beta-lactam combinations, ensuring high-quality research and a significant market presence, he added.

Choudhary said the product is expected to hit the market, subject to regulatory approvals, around 2031.

Shares or Venus Remedies were trading 2.96 per cent up at Rs 316.15 apiece on the BSE.