par BioVersys AG
BioVersys strengthens Ansamycin platform and NTM research through collaboration and license agreement with Hackensack Meridian Health
BioVersys AG / Key word(s): Agreement
Basel, Switzerland. March 31, 2026, 7am CEST.
BioVersys AG (SIX: BIOV), a multi-asset, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on research and development of novel antibacterial products for serious life-threatening infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, announced today, that it has entered into an exclusive ansamycin drug discovery collaboration and license agreement with Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH), the parties will jointly profile and develop ansamycin candidates coming from HMH. HMH is eligible to receive an upfront and near-term payments as well as royalties on future sales. BioVersys’ proprietary Ansamycin Chemistry platform has been developed through our research teams in Lille (France) and Basel (Switzerland) and has already produced several advanced, highly potent and orally bioavailable broad-spectrum anti-NTM lead candidates with in vitro and in vivo activity that are now jointly progressed towards candidate selection with Shionogi as part of the BV500 program. The addition of novel ansamycin chemistry and advanced lead molecules developed by the group of Dr. Thomas Dick and Dr. Véronique Dartois at HMH’s Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI) in collaboration with their partner Dr. Courtney Aldrich at the University of Minnesota, further strengthens and is synergistic with BioVersys’ Ansamycin Chemistry platform and the pool of potently active orally bioavailable anti-NTM leads, while also allowing for development of additional antimicrobial agents. Dr. Marc Gitzinger, CEO at BioVersys: “Early-stage partnerships with leading institutes and health centers from around the world grants us access to the best science to strengthen our Ansamycin Chemistry platform from which we aim to develop new clinical candidates. We are pleased to be working with the team of Profs. Thomas Dick and Véronique Dartois, and the world-renowned Hackensack Meridian Health. This collaboration emphasizes our determination to tackle NTM diseases, which are some of the most difficult bacterial diseases to cure. We strive to bring benefit to vulnerable populations at a higher risk of developing infections, like the 105’000 people known to be living with cystic fibrosis[1] and the ~400 million patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease[2] (COPD).” Dr. Ihor Sawczuk, President of Research, Academics, and Innovation at Hackensack Meridian Health: “This partnership has huge potential for a growing health problem, and the CDI’s breakthroughs are complemented perfectly by the aptitude of BioVersys.” Dr. David Perlin CSO and EVP at Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation: “The ingenuity and expertise of Drs. Dick and Dartois is uniquely poised to tackle this critical infectious disease problem. It’s an example of Hackensack Meridian Health and the CDI leveraging its considerable talent to drive a new standard of care forward.” Dr. Daniel Ritz, CSO at BioVersys: “We are delighted to enter into a partnership with HMH. This collaboration brings together world-renowned experts in antimicrobial research and expands BioVersys’ Ansamycin Chemistry platform, supporting the company’s commitment to advancing innovative treatments for infectious diseases where there is a clear unmet medical need.” Dr. Thomas Dick, Professor at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine: “NTM infections remain a ‘silent’ crisis for patients with chronic lung conditions, who often face grueling, year-long treatments with limited success. By merging our CDI discoveries with BioVersys’ clinical expertise, we are moving closer to providing these patients with the potent, oral therapeutic options they have been waiting for. We look forward to bringing our advanced lead molecules to the next stage in this partnership. They are the product of a long and successful collaboration with the group of Dr. Courtney Aldrich and Tian Lan at the University of Minnesota.” About non-tuberculous mycobacteria Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous environmental bacteria whose common clinical manifestation is pulmonary (lung) disease (NTM-PD or NTM-LD) caused most frequently by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and Mycobacterium abscessus subspecies (MAB).[3] NTM-PD affects approximately 250,000 people per year, predominantly in North America and Asia.3 Treatment of NTM infections is challenging due to variable intrinsic bacterial susceptibility, acquired resistance to commonly used antimicrobial agents, length of therapy (at least 12 months) and adverse effects associated with current treatment options. Macrolide-based, triple drug regimens, plus aminoglycosides for chronic/relapsing infections[4] are considered only moderately effective for treating MAC, whereas no therapy of predictable efficacy exists for the treatment of MAB, a pathogen associated with up to 50% mortality.[5] People with preexisting conditions, including cystic fibrosis (CF), other lung diseases and immune-compromised patients are more easily colonised. The incidence of NTM infections among people living with CF has increased from 3.3% to 22.6%, with MAB becoming a more prominent pathogen.[6]
About BV500 The BV500 program arose from a successful collaboration within the SmartLab public private partnership with the University of Lille (France) as an incubator for early-stage idea generation, and has separately received funding support and access to key expertise from the CF AMR Syndicate and the EU IHI funded RespiriNTM programme – underlining that efficient research in the field of antibiotics works best in collaboration. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health threat with the currently available therapeutics becoming more and more obsolete due to AMR.[7] This is of greatest concern when addressing NTM lung disease (NTM-LD), as in chronic treatments (12-24 months) resistance can often develop. Due to the lack of effective treatment options, with current cure rates for NTM-LD as low as 30-50%.[8] Particularly vulnerable to NTM-LD are people who suffer from structural airway disease such as cystic fibrosis (CF), bronchiectasis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Advanced lead molecules from BV500 are currently being progress towards candidate selection in partnership with Shionogi.[9]
About Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack Meridian Health brings together leading‑edge care, research, and medical education to deliver the best outcomes, and care shaped around the unique needs of every patient we serve. By connecting prevention, specialty care, and life-saving discoveries, we improve every aspect of healthcare – from routine visits to the most advanced treatments, close to home and across the globe.
Home to New Jersey’s first and only top 20 hospital in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report 2025-26, we ensure people can count on exceptional care today and benefit from the cures of tomorrow. Our network of 18 hospitals, 500+ care locations, and over 40,000 team members extend the horizon of health for all. And because medicine is never finished, we Keep Getting Better for every patient, family, and community who counts on us. Learn more at HackensackMeridianHealth.org.
About The Center for Discovery and Innovation The Center for Discovery and Innovation, a member of Hackensack Meridian Health, translates current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients. More than 34 laboratories, 200+ professional researchers and physician-scientists at the CDI have set their sights on cancer, infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and other acute and chronic diseases. Clinical need drives scientific insights and their application for these researchers, leading to the development of new diagnostics, therapies, and surveillance capabilities in response to emerging health challenges. The CDI harnesses cutting-edge advances in genetics, molecular biology, clinical immunology, imaging, and behavioral sciences to better diagnose, treat and prevent disease through personalized medicine approaches. For additional information, please visit www.hmh-cdi.org.
About BioVersys BioVersys AG is a multi-asset, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing and commercializing novel antibacterial products for serious life-threatening infections caused by multi-drug resistant (“MDR”) bacteria. Derived from the company’s two internal technology platforms (TRIC and Ansamycin Chemistry), candidates are designed and developed to overcome resistance mechanisms, block virulence production and directly affect the pathogenesis of harmful bacteria towards the identification of new treatment options in the antimicrobial and microbiome fields. This enables BioVersys to address the high unmet medical need for new treatments against life-threatening resistant bacterial infections and bacteria-exacerbated chronic inflammatory microbiome disorders. The company’s most advanced research and development programs address nosocomial infections of Acinetobacter baumannii (BV100, Phase 3), and tuberculosis (alpibectir, Phase 2, in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and a consortium of the University of Lille, France). BioVersys is located in the biotech hub of Basel, Switzerland.
BioVersys contact Anca Cighi, Head of IR and Communications, Tel. +41 79 949 33 09; Mail: anca.cighi@bioversys.com For Media: media@bioversys.com
Disclaimer This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain forward-looking statements, such as "believe", "assume", "expect", "forecast", "project", "may", "could", "might", "will" or similar expressions concerning BioVersys and its business, including with respect to the progress, timing and completion of research, development and clinical studies for product candidates. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of BioVersys to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. BioVersys is providing this communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
[2] https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(24)00339-4/abstract [3] Hamed KA & G. Tillotson “A narrative review of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: microbiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and management challenges” Ex. Rev. Resp. Med. (2023), 17 (11), 973 - 988 https://doi.org/10.1080/17476348.2023.2283135 [4] Daley CL et al. “Treatment of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: an official ATS/ERS/ESCMID/IDSA clinical practice guideline” Eur. Resp. J. (2020), 56, 2000535; https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00535-2020; Griffith DE et al. “An Official ATS/IDSA Statement: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Diseases” Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. (2007), 175, 367–416; https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.200604-571ST [5] Jhun BW et al. “Prognostic factors associated with long-term mortality in 1445 patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease: a 15-year follow-up study” Eur. Resp. J. (2020), 55, 1900798; https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.00798-2019 [6] Degiacomi G. et al. “Mycobacterium abscessus, an Emerging and Worrisome Pathogen among Cystic Fibrosis Patients” Int. J. Mol. Sci. (2019), 20, 5868; doi: 10.3390/ijms20235868 [7] Lancet, Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis, VOLUME 399, ISSUE 10325, P629-655, FEBRUARY 12, 2022 [8] Wang et al., 2022; Novosad et al., 2017; Lee et al., 2021; Mourad et al., 2021
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2300276 31.03.2026 CET/CEST