AstraZeneca is planning to move its antibiotic research and development business into a standalone company at a cost of about $40 million. The plan will affect about 95 people at its facility in Waltham, MA.
The focus of the new company will be research and development of AstraZeneca’s early-stage antibiotic pipeline. This will include AZD0914, a gyrase inhibitor that is currently in Phase II clinical trials for gonorrhea. Leading the new facility will be staff from AstraZeneca’s Innovative Medicines Unit.
In a statement, AstraZeneca wrote, “As already communicated to our employees, this new way of conducting small molecule antibiotic research and early-stage development will impact approximately 95 employees based in Waltham, Massachusetts. It is anticipated that some of the researchers impacted by the changes will take up roles in the new company, or in other parts of AstraZeneca. We are fully committed to supporting our people through the transition.”
