GARDP's Strategy for Addressing AMR: Spotlight on BWC0977

Yann Ferrisse, business development and partner engagement director at the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) provided insights into the organization's strategic approach to tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly through its work with BWC0977. The compound, developed in collaboration with Bugworks, represents a significant component of GARDP's broader strategy to combat infections in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Ferrisse explained that BWC0977 has been under consideration for several years due to its promising potential. “This product is something we started looking at a few years back. It’s quite an interesting compound. Even in preclinical development, we considered it a key potential for managing infections in different territories. That’s why we have been discussing with Bugworks, and we have discussed with them over several years, to define the best collaboration agreement. Our goal is to include this product in our portfolio while also supporting Bug Works to accelerate its development.”

GARDP holds commercialization rights for BWC0977 in over 146 countries. Addressing how GARDP plans to make the product accessible and affordable, Ferrisse highlighted two main areas of focus: affordability and availability. The first consideration is affordability. Our goal is to work on developing an appropriate formulation that meets the expectations at the country level and to optimize the cost of goods for this formulation.”

For availability, Ferrisse acknowledged that while BWC0977 is still in early development and not expected to be available before 2030, the organization is exploring several strategies. These include partnering with commercial entities and international procurement agencies to facilitate access. “We need to consider our options. One possibility is working with a commercial partner, collaborating between the partner, Bugworks, and Gavi to facilitate access in different territories. Alternatively, we could work with international procurement agencies to ease product access through port waivers, or explore mixed models to accelerate product availability.”

When discussing how GARDP will measure the success and impact of BWC0977, Ferrisse emphasized the importance of delivering the right treatment to patients effectively. “Our success is all about getting the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. That’s really our ultimate goal. We are developing treatments to manage infections and ensure that people have access to them.”

He further elaborated on success metrics, stating, “In addition to that, being able to achieve more success depends on accelerating antibiotic treatment and ensuring that this product is available in the right way and used appropriately in the healthcare setting. If we can achieve that, it will be a wonderful and great success.”

As GARDP continues to work on BWC0977 and other initiatives, the partnership remains dedicated to addressing the critical challenge of AMR on a global scale.