Who are we ?
An experienced phagotherapy research team: experts in the selection, characterization and production of therapeutic bacteriophages to fight AMR by the selection of lytic phages.
In short
Pherecydes Pharma develops antibacterial treatments based on the use of bacteriophage viruses, or phages, to fight bacterial infections in humans, particularly those resistant to antibiotics. Phages are natural predators of bacteria and have no effect on eukaryotic cells, including human cells. Pherecydes Pharma has introduced the concept of precision phagotherapy, which consists in treating each patient according to the activity of the phages on the strain responsible for the infection. Treatments are therefore individualized and adapted to each case.
Our team has selected as priority bacterial targetsPseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, which have been identified by the WHO among the most dangerous infections. These three bacteria alone accounts for the vast majority of hospital acquired infections in industrialized countries. Some of the phages developed by Pherecydes Pharma have already been administered as part of compassionate treatments in France under the supervision of French Health authorities (ANSM).
Pherecydes Pharma was founded in 2006 and has an R&D center based in Romainville (93) in the Paris suburbs and a process development and quality control site in Nantes (44) in Western France. Pherecydes Pharma currently relies on a team of more than 20 employees.
The Company’s shareholders include ACE Management, Elaia, Go Capital, Omnes Capital, Karista, Fa Dièse, BMSystems and private investors. It also benefits from financial support from the European Commission, Nantes Métropole, DGA and Bpifrance. It also benefits from financial support from the European Commission, Nantes Métropole, DGA and Bpifrance.
The increase in resistance is a growing phenomenon
Although many antibiotics have been developed over the years, bacteria have been able to quickly develop mechanisms to resist them. The growing threat of antibiotic resistance has been the main driver of the focus on developing alternative treatments, including bacteriophages, also known as “phages”.
It is estimated 1,270,000 deaths directly attributable to antibiotic resistance and 4,950,000 deaths associated with antibiotic resistance worldwide in 2019, according to a study published in “The Lancet” . In the U.S., antibiotic resistance generates more than 8 million excess hospital days per year at an additional cost of $20 billion.
An irrevocable situation, 10 million deaths per year by 2050!
The phenomenon of resistance has increased dramatically over the last 15 years. Widespread overuse of antibiotics and improper compliance are the main causes of this increased prevalence of multi-resistant infections. A report published in 2016 estimates that this situation could lead to an explosion in mortality resulting in 10 million victims per year by 2050.
Another major consequence of the spread of antibiotic resistance would be that surgical procedures that are very common today and absolutely key could no longer be performed, leading to a real health disaster.
