Debiopharm Group, a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical company focused on development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs and companion diagnostics, and TCG Lifesciences, a CRO in early drug discovery and development, have inked an exclusive discovery collaboration to develop antibiotics targeting drug-resistant bacteria for community hospital-acquired infections.

TCG will contribute its experience in the discovery and optimization of lead compounds, while Debiopharm will provide drug development experience and fund the development program.

Swapan Bhattacharya, managing director of TCG, said, "This program involves a challenging new target that could potentially address the vast incidence of nosocomial infections which plague healthcare facilities all over the world. Debiopharm's developmental expertise combined with our medicinal chemistry capabilities and efficient discovery operations provide an attractive opportunity for accelerated discovery of novel drug candidates for clinical development."