Shares of Wockhardt Ltd soared 4% on 13 January after the company’s drug Zaynich showed clinical efficacy of over 97% in treating critically ill patients who have carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative infections, including meropenem-resistant strains.
The study focused on serious infections, including hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP), ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP), bloodstream infections (BSI), complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI), and complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI). Remarkably, 17% of patients also experienced concurrent bloodstream infections, further complicating treatment efforts.
In its regulatory filing, the company said, “Zaynich delivered a 98% overall efficacy rate at the test-of-cure phase (7–10 days post-treatment) and achieved 100% efficacy for BSI, HABP/VABP, and cIAI. The drug also showed high pathogen eradication rates, with 91% microbiological cure for HABP/VABP and 100% for BSI.”
The study, conducted at 15 leading tertiary care hospitals, focused exclusively on patients with confirmed carbapenem-resistant infections caused by extensively drug-resistant (XDR) pathogens, including Acinetobacter spp., Pseudomonas spp., Klebsiella spp., and E. coli. Treatment durations varied between 7 and 21 days, with the study protocol receiving approval from the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).
Zaynich, a proprietary antibiotic from Wockhardt combining Zidebactam and Cefepime, is designed to target multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative infections. It is currently nearing the completion of a multinational Phase III trial, which will support its global registration and marketing authorization.
Previously, several Phase I studies, including clinical pharmacology trials with Zidebactam and Cefepime, were conducted in the U.S. Given India’s notably higher prevalence of meropenem-resistant infections, a Phase II trial was carried out domestically to build robust evidence of Zaynich®’s efficacy in addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the company stated.
However, at 3:12 pm, the shares of Wockhardt shed all their early gains and were trading 4.89% higher at Rs 1,320.25 on NSE.
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