Nestlé and Seres Therapeutics have announced a new partnership focused on the development of a microbiome-based therapeutic for recurrent Clostridioides difficile (C.diff) infection.
The two companies are planning to jointly commercialise Seres’ investigational oral microbiome therapeutic SER-109 in the US and Canada.
In August 2020, Seres reported positive top-line data from a phase 3 trial of SER-109 for recurrent C.diff infections.
In the phase 3 ECOSPOR trial, the drug reduced the number of patients who had a C.diff infection recurrence within eight weeks of receiving the drug by 30.2% compared to placebo.
SER-109 is an oral, biologically-derived microbiome therapy consisting of a ‘highly-purified consortia of spore-based commensal bacteria’.
The drug differs to faecal microbiota transplantation, which is another investigational type of therapy being developed to treat recurrent C.diff infections.
Under the terms of the new joint-commercialisation deal, Seres will receive upfront licence payments of $175m as well as an additional $125m when the therapeutic receives US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
Nestlé already has commercial rights to Seres’ investigational treatments for C.diff and inflammatory bowel disease outside the US and Canada, and the new deal makes Nestlé the global collaborators for SER-109.
“Nestlé Health Science has been a terrific collaborator in our quest to develop a new treatment option for patients suffering from recurrent C. difficile infection, and their support over the past few years has been critical in advancing SER-109 to address this unmet need,” said Eric Shaff, chief executive officer of Seres.
“We are excited to expand our existing collaboration with Seres Therapeutics at this pivotal time, given the promise SER-109 holds for patients trapped in the debilitating cycle of recurrent C. difficile infection,” added Greg Behar, CEO of Nestlé Health Science.
In September 2020, Nestlé furthered its push into pharma with the acquisition of allergy specialist Aimmune Therapeutics in a deal worth $2.6bn.
Aimmune’s Palforzia became the first peanut allergy drug to be cleared for use in the US last year.
The oral immunotherapy is comprised of defatted peanut flour that is sprinkled over food and given in small but gradually increasing amounts over a six-month period, with the aim of encouraging the immune system to develop a tolerance to peanut allergies.