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Prokaryotics and Basilea enter collaboration to develop a novel broad-spectrum antifungal for severe invasive infections
Prokaryotics Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel anti-infectives, today announced an agreement with Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil (SIX: BSLN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to meeting the needs of patients with severe bacterial and fungal infections. The collaboration aims to jointly develop a first-in-class broad-spectrum antifungal for the treatment of severe invasive infections.
About this update from Basilea Pharmaceutica Ag
[{"type":"text","content":"UNION, N.J., Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Prokaryotics Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel anti-infectives, today announced an agreement with Basilea Pharmaceutica Ltd, Allschwil (SIX: BSLN), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to meeting the needs of patients with severe bacterial and fungal infections. The collaboration aims to jointly develop a first-in-class broad-spectrum antifungal for the treatment of severe invasive infections.","length":521,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Proka","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Proka","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":134,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/201344842d63a820977e20f50c135e55"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/.E6itXZ8uq8CThGyYuKoNQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTIzNjtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/201344842d63a820977e20f50c135e55","width":400,"height":134}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2855851/Prokaryotics_Logo.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"The collaboration is focused on a program of antifungal molecules with a novel mode of action, addressing the critical unmet need of patients with invasive infections caused by strains of Candida, Aspergillus, and rare molds. The joint efforts aim to deliver a clinical candidate, which will then be further progressed through clinical development by Basilea.","length":359,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Dr. Terry Roemer, Chief Scientific Officer of Prokaryotics, commented: "We are delighted to collaborate with Basilea on this program with the goal to develop a mechanistically novel class of broad-spectrum antifungals for patients suffering from life-threatening infections. It is estimated that serious fungal infections cause ~1.7 million deaths worldwide annually – a number comparable to deaths caused by tuberculosis or malaria.1,2 The emerging resistance to existing antifungal drugs only exacerbates this threat and underscores the need for new antifungal agents with novel modes of action distinct from current clinically used drugs. This partnership perfectly aligns Prokaryotics' expertise and passion for discovering novel anti-infectives with Basilea's excepti...