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<p><b>Researching the Fight Against Infection</b></p> |
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<p>PLIVA is working on becoming a leader in anti-infectives research. As such, |
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current in-house activities are focused predominantly on anti-bacterials; the |
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largest segment of anti-infectives, and in this area, PLIVA has a long tradition |
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and much expertise.</p> |
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<p>With its internationally acknowledged insight into macrolide chemistry, as |
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evidenced by its discovery of Azithromycin, PLIVA has entered into a strategic |
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co-operation with GlaxoWellcome (with the merger of SmithKline and Glaxo a novel |
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Joint Operating Committee is currently being set up) to identify a novel macrolide |
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antibiotic for world-wide development and marketing. The goal of this venture |
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is to identify a macrolide with improved efficacy, particularly against resistant |
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strains of bacteria. The program is currently keeping pace with its ambitious |
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plans and efforts are being focused on fine-tuning the derivation process in |
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order to enter the development phase within the next year.</p> |
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<p align="center"><img src="p/OKrnd_ljudi_7.jpg" width="300" height="202"></p> |
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<p>The goal of a second program within this area is to find a novel anti-bacterial |
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compound class showing no cross-resistance with current antibiotics. In cooperation |
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with Althexis, Boston, USA, a company with leading expertise in structure-based |
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drug design and crystallography, researchers from both companies have identified |
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two novel scaffolds showing activity with in vitro and in vivo models of infections. |
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A derivation program to identify a developmental candidate within the shortest |
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possible time has been fully established.</p> |
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<p>As an extension of its anti-bacterial program, PLIVA has licensed-in a novel |
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anti-fungal compound (PLD-118) from Bayer AG, Germany. This compound has demonstrated |
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excellent efficacy against the most common systemic fungal infections as well |
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as excellent tolerability and pharmacokinetic properties in various pre-clinical |
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models. PLD-118 would represent the first novel, orally available compound class |
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for the treatment of infections caused by the Candida yeast since the introduction |
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of the azoles in the 1970s.The project has a novel mode of action and has strong |
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potential to solve azole resistance problems. </p> |