Breakthrough drugmaker is set to soar

FOUNDER: Team17’s Debbie Bestwick

Motif Bio

RESISTANCE to antibiotics is a big problem, so much so that the World Health Organisation recently described it as one of the greatest threats to human life today. Motif Bio has developed a new antibiotic, iclaprim, which is safer and more effective than existing drugs and saves hospitals money.

The shares are 28p and brokers believe they could more than triple in the coming months.

For most small biotech companies, the biggest challenge is whether they can receive regulatory approval for new products before running out of cash.

Motif Bio is already well down the track. Trials have been completed and the US regulator, the FDA, is expected to approve iclaprim in February. At the same time, Motif Bio chief executive Graham Lumsden, is looking for a deep-pocketed partner to help bring the drug to market. Discussions are under way and further news should emerge in the next few months.

Iclaprim will initially be used to treat elderly or otherwise high-risk patients with acute skin infections – around a million people in the US alone. In time, the drug is likely to be prescribed for other conditions, including pneumonia.