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Biotechnology company Peptilogics announced today that it has completed a $78 million financing round to support a phase 2/3 trial of its investigational treatment for prosthetic joint infections (PJIs).

The upcoming randomized controlled trial will enroll 240 patients beginning in December to determine whether zaloganan, an antibacterial and antibiofilm peptide developed by the Pittsburgh-based company, is superior to the current standard of care for PJIs in reducing clinical failure rates. The trial will also evaluate hospitalization duration, readmission rates, and the need for additional surgical procedures. Failure rates for current approaches range from 15% to 50%.

An estimated 45,000 PJI cases occur in the United States each year, and more are expected as the population ages and the number of knee and hip replacements rises. 

Drug targets biofilms

Zaloganan works by targeting and disrupting bacterial membranes and has demonstrated broad-spectrum activity against a wide range of pathogens. In a phase 1 trial in patients with PJIs, which are mediated by biofilms from the causative pathogens that grow on implanted hardware, 13 of 14 patients who received zaloganan irrigation during debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention procedures remained infection-free at 12 months.

“Biofilm is the common enemy and the reason why existing standard-of-care surgical interventions fail, even with systemic antibiotics,” Peptilogics CEO Nick Pachuda, DPM, said in the press release. “Zaloganan quickly penetrates the biofilm locally and kills the hiding bacteria.”

Among the investors in the Series B2 financing round is the AMR Action Fund, which was launched in 2020 to help companies developing promising treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections.   

“Periprosthetic joint infections are a striking example of how antimicrobial resistance is rapidly undermining modern medicine,” said AMR Action Fund CEO Henry Skinner, PhD. “The financial costs, diminished quality of life, and mortality associated with such infections are frankly unacceptable, and we are pleased to support the Peptilogics team as they advance zaloganan through the clinic and toward patients in need.”

In January the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) awarded Peptilogics $3.3 million to develop a slow-release version of zaloganan.