Zai Lab and Pfizer announced a strategic collaboration for the novel antibacterial drug XACDURO (sulbactam-durlobactam) in mainland China. Pfizer's affiliated companies will be exclusively authorized to undertake and perform certain commercialization activities for XACDURO in mainland China. Through this collaboration, Zai Lab will leverage the commercialization infrastructure of Pfizer's affiliated companies in the anti-infective therapeutic area to help accelerate access to this important therapy for patients in need in mainland China.

The period of collaboration is for the imported product through November 2028, subject to early termination or extension. XACDURO® is the only antimicrobial agent specifically developed for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB). It has been approved in the United States and in mainland China for the treatment of adult patients with hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (HABP/VABP) caused by susceptible isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified carbapenem-resistant micro-organisms as an urgent threat. Globally, Acinetobacter baumannii was among the top six leading pathogens for deaths associated with resistance in 2019, and CRAB is included in the highest priority category, the Critical Group category, in the list of bacterial priority pathogens published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2024. In China, Acinetobacter baumannii was the leading cause of death attributable to antimicrobial resistance according to the global burden of disease study 20195.

Approximately 300,000 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were reported in mainland China in 2022.Treatment options for HABP/VABP caused by CRAB infections are limited, and prior to approval of XACDURO®, there remains a lack of gold-standard therapy for CRAB infections.