Merck, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (Gates MRI) today announced a licensing agreement for two preclinical antibacterial candidates for evaluation as potential components of combination regimens for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB). These candidates were discovered by Merck scientists as part of the TB Drug Accelerator (TBDA).

The TBDA is a collaboration established among biopharmaceutical companies, research organizations and universities to accelerate the discovery and development of novel therapeutic candidates against TB. The initiative was established with support and leadership from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Tuberculosis is one of the world’s most significant infectious causes of human disease and death,” said Dr. Emilio Emini, chief executive officer, the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute. “The development of novel therapies to simplify and more effectively treat TB has been a long-standing goal of scientific and medical research. The two novel compounds discovered by Merck scientists, and now licensed to the Gates MRI for further development and distribution, may represent potentially important constituents of future TB therapeutic regimens.”

Under the agreement, Merck has granted the Gates MRI an exclusive global license for MK-7762 and MK-3854. In furtherance of its charitable purpose, Gates MRI will conduct non-clinical and clinical studies of these candidates to determine their potential for inclusion in new affordable combination treatment regimens for TB with the aim of shortening the duration of treatment irrespective of resistance to the currently available TB drugs.

“At Merck we have a proud legacy of addressing some of the world’s most challenging infectious diseases,” said Dr. Dean Y. Li, president, Merck Research Laboratories. “With the expertise and capabilities of the Gates MRI, MK-7762 and MK-3854 are positioned for rigorous evaluation of their potential as components of novel TB treatment regimens.”

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of MK-7762 and MK-3854 have shown that both candidates have potent antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the organism that causes tuberculosis, including some strains known to be resistant to current therapies