BioVersys AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibacterial products for multidrug-resistant infections, announced that it will present new data on alpibectir in collaboration with its development partner GSK at The Union World Conference on Lung Health. The conference, scheduled for 17–20 November 2026 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, brings together researchers, practitioners, advocates, policymakers, and communities to accelerate progress in lung health. The presentations will feature the latest Phase 2 data on alpibectir in combination with ethionamide (AlpE) in patients with newly diagnosed drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis.
The data being presented holds significant implications for tuberculosis treatment, particularly in addressing drug resistance and reducing treatment burden. Alpibectir, a small molecule derived from BioVersys’ Transcriptional Regulatory Inhibitory Compounds (TRIC) platform, acts through a novel mode of action to potentiate the activity of ethionamide, an anti-TB drug. By lowering the efficacious human dose of ethionamide, the combination aims to minimize dose-dependent side effects and overcome ethionamide resistance. This could lead to more tolerable and effective regimens for patients with pulmonary TB and TB meningitis, areas with high unmet medical need.
The conference schedule includes multiple presentations by key researchers. On 18 November, Dr. Simphiwe RN Simelane will present an e-poster titled “Early bactericidal activity, safety, and pharmacokinetics of alpibectir–ethionamide in pulmonary tuberculosis” in the session on emerging therapeutics in TB safety, efficacy, and early activity. On 19 November, Dr. Michel Pieren from BioVersys will discuss “Alpibectir potentiates ethionamide and ethionamide-sulfoxide activity in M. tuberculosis clinical isolates from a Phase 2a study” in the session on dose determination, safety, and adverse effects. Later that day, Dr. Simelane will present “Early bactericidal activity, safety and PK of alpibectir-ethionamide in pulmonary tuberculosis: Results from the ENABLE trial” in the UNITE4TB platform session. On 20 November, Dr. Simon Tiberi will provide “Early bactericidal activity, safety and PK of alpibectir-ethionamide and updates on further development of alpibectir-containing TB regimens” in a session on tackling tuberculosis today and for the future. A satellite session chaired by David Barros-Aguirre will also take place on 20 November.
The alpibectir-ethionamide combination has already received orphan-drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2023, providing seven years of U.S. market exclusivity, and Orphan Designation from the European Medicines Agency in 2025, offering 10-year EU market exclusivity. These designations underscore the potential of AlpE to address serious unmet needs in TB treatment. BioVersys’ most advanced programs target nosocomial infections of Acinetobacter baumannii (BV100, Phase 3) and tuberculosis (alpibectir, Phase 2, in collaboration with GSK and a consortium of the University of Lille, France). For more information, visit www.bioversys.com.
The release is available on www.newmediawire.com, as distributed by NEWMEDIAWIRE.
