Japanese pharma’s Florham Park-based unit receives U.S. government contract to combat drug-resistant bacterial threats – ROI-NJ

John Keller, SVP, R&D Supervisory Unit. – Shionogi Inc.
Shionogi & Co. announced on April 8 that Shionogi Inc., its Florham Park-based subsidiary of Shionogi, has been awarded a contract through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority’s (BARDA) Project BioSothield.
This contract pertains to Fetroja (cefiderocol), which can serve as a countermeasure against difficult-to-treat bacterial infections and pathogens that present a high-priority biothreat to national health security. The contract is initially funded at $119 million with multi-year options for a total of up to $482 million.
The contract will bolster the U.S. government’s ability to respond to national health security threats and strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities and supply readiness by funding Shionogi Inc. to establish a U.S. drug product manufacturing site for Fetroja.
In the U.S., cefiderocol is commercially available under the brand name Fetroja and is a treatment of hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia, ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia and complicated urinary tract infections caused by certain susceptible Gram-negative microorganisms. It was introduced in 2020.
The contract with Shionogi will support procurement of Fetroja; advance Fetroja for the treatment of infections caused by high priority biothreat pathogens; and expand the utility of Fetroja for HABP/VABP in pediatric patients with a Food and Drug Administration Supplemental New Drug Application.
“Since the 1950s, Shionogi has been researching, developing and partnering to deliver innovative antibiotics to patients worldwide,” said John Keller, director of the board, senior vice president, R&D Supervisory Unit, Shionogi. “Fetroja, the world’s first siderophore cephalosporin antibiotic, is a prime example of our in-house innovation and this contract is a continuation of the way we collaborate with global government and non-governmental organizations to drive innovation.”
This project has been funded with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Shionogi & Co. is a 148-year-old global, research-driven pharmaceutical company headquartered in Osaka, Japan, that markets products in several therapeutic areas including anti-infectives, pain, CNS disorders and cardiovascular diseases.
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