About Cethromycin

Cethromycin, Advanced Life Sciences’ lead product candidate, is a novel once-a-day antibiotic that recently demonstrated positive phase III results for the treatment of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Tested in approximately 5,200 human subjects, cethromycin has shown higher in vitro potency and a broader range of activity than macrolides against Gram-positive bacteria associated with respiratory tract infections, and, again in in vitro tests, it appears to be effective against penicillin and macrolideresistant bacteria. Cethromycin has a mechanism of action that may slow the onset of future bacterial resistance.

In addition to its utility in CAP, cethromycin was shown to be effective in preventing inhalation anthrax post-exposure in a primate study. The study, involving a 30-day course of oral dosing, demonstrated that cethromycin was 100% protective against a lethal dose of inhaled anthrax as compared to the current standard of care, Cipro® (ciprofloxacin), which demonstrated 90% protection. The FDA has designated cethromycin as an orphan drug for the prophylactic treatment of inhalation anthrax post exposure, but the FDA has not yet approved the drug for marketing in this or any other indication.