San Diego, Calif.-based Harrow Health Inc.'s newly formed Stowe Pharmaceuticals Inc. subsidiary agreed with TGV Health to acquire worldwide rights for antimicrobial agent Zian.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Zian is being developed to treat bacterial, viral and fungal infections, including in the eye and ear.
The first primary indication for the initial drug candidates using the Zian molecule is expected to be adenoviral conjunctivitis, a common and highly contagious viral infection of the eye. The company later plans to develop candidates to treat mixed bacterial-viral infections; keratitis, an infection of the eye's cornea; endophthalmitis, an inflammatory condition of the intraocular cavities; and corneal ulcers, an open sore of the cornea that could result in vision loss or complete blindness.
"In preclinical ophthalmic studies, our initial drug candidate based on the Zian molecule – STE-006 – successfully killed broad spectra of bacteria and inactivated ranges of viruses, including enveloped and non-enveloped viruses, within 15 seconds," said George Tets, co-inventor of the Zian molecule, in an Aug. 2 statement.
"We believe that if FDA-approved, STE-006 could potentially become a 'one-stop-shop' solution to quickly fight ophthalmic bacteria, fungi, and viruses, having sight-saving implications for people worldwide," Tets added.
