Replidyne: Battling Bacterial Resistance

(The first look at a Colorado Series A (well really B) company)

Just a stones throw off of the Boulder Turnpike is where Replidyne resides. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Ken Collins, Replidyne is focused upon discovering and developing novel anti-infective drugs to address a major, and growing, public health issue: bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics.

The management team most recently closed on a $40M Series B led by TPG Ventures, bringing the total capital raised to date to approximately $56M. The list of remaining investors for whom the velvet rope is held includes Health Care Ventures, Perseus-Soros Biopharmaceutical Fund, Morgenthaler, Sequel Partners, J&J Development Corp., and Temasek Holdings.

Replidyne is executing upon a diverse product portfolio. The most advanced channel of business includes Faropenem Daloxate (FD), a community antibiotic for adult respiratory tract infections. An NDA submission is scheduled for late 2005 with approval and launch expected in late 2006. Phase II studies on FD administered for a shorter course at higher dose and, preclinical work in pediatric applications add to the FD asset. Secondly, the company is in late-stage preclinical development of a novel tRNA synthetase inhibitor directed at resistant staphylococci aureus, and finally rounding out the pipeline is the technology with which the company was founded upon – novel mechanism-of-action compounds that inhibit bacterial DNA replication. A robust high-throughput screen strategy has yielded a number of promising molecules that have inhibited bacterial growth and activity in animal models of infection.

Nine Phase III FD studies demonstrated clinical and microbiological efficacy in addition to excellent safety and tolerability profiles. We are rooting for Replidyne to continue to replicate its formula for success.