As antimicrobial resistance (AMR) becomes one of the most serious threats to global health and economic stability, Australian biotechnology company Lixa has taken a decisive step to confront this challenge.
The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) to establish a collaborative framework to support the development of Lixa’s lead drug candidate, NeoX-121.
AMR is increasingly recognised as a systemic risk, with forecasts estimating up to 39 million deaths and $143 trillion in lost global GDP by 2050. Despite the scale of the threat, the pipeline of innovative treatments remains thin, with most efforts focused on replacing failing antibiotics with new ones.
Rather than developing yet another antibiotic, Lixa is focused on switching resistance off, enabling both existing and new antibiotics to work again. NeoX-121, one of Lixa’s most advanced drug candidates, has shown promising results in preclinical studies, re-sensitising bacteria to antibiotics while demonstrating safety and pharmacokinetic characteristics suitable for scalable oral or intravenous use.
Under the MOU, GARDP will contribute its deep expertise across preclinical and clinical development, regulatory strategy, and market access planning. The goal is to strengthen the evidence base for advancing NeoX-121, with a shared emphasis on delivering scalable, cost-effective solutions that address the root causes of antimicrobial resistance and can be deployed globally.
Lixa Managing Director Maud Eijkenboom described GARDP as a globally recognised leader in antibiotic development and equitable access, noting that the partnership reflects a shared mission to ensure that AMR treatments are available wherever needed.
GARDP also sees potential in Lixa’s unconventional strategy. François Franceschi, Associate Director of GARDP’s Serious Bacterial Infections Portfolio, said the organisation’s experts were encouraged by Lixa’s preclinical data and believed the approach warranted further validation. If proven safe and effective in clinical trials, he said, the technology could fundamentally change how drug-resistant bacterial infections are treated.
The MOU coincides with Lixa’s plans to raise up to A$28 million in capital to support its growth and strategic objectives.