Blacksmith Medicines Secures European Patent Allowance for LpxC-Targeting Antibacterial Compounds

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Blacksmith Medicines, Inc. (Blacksmith), a leading biopharma dedicated to discovering and developing therapeutics targeting metalloenzymes, today announced that the European Patent Office has issued a Notice of Intention to Grant for European Application No. 19862323.3, titled "Antibacterial Compounds", an application covering the composition of matter and methods of use for FG-960, the active form of FG-2101. FG-960 is a non-hydroxamate small-molecule antibiotic designed to selectively inhibit LpxC, a zinc-dependent metalloenzyme found exclusively in Gram-negative bacteria.

Blacksmith has secured similar patents in the United States, China, and Japan, and is pursuing additional protection in other major global markets where antibiotic innovation is desperately needed.

"FG-2101 represents a novel antibiotic class with potent activity against challenging Gram-negative pathogens, including ESBL-producing and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae," said Zachary Zimmerman, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of Blacksmith. "This allowance underscores the innovation of the Blacksmith platform and strengthens the overall global IP portfolio protecting FG-2101 and active form FG-960."

The FG-960/FG-2101 program is currently supported under a contract with NIAID (75N93022C00060). 

About LpxC
LpxC is a zinc-dependent hydrolase and an attractive antibiotic target, conserved across Gram-negative bacteria but absent in Gram-positive species and human cells. Its inhibition leads to potent Gram-negative bacterial killing while preserving beneficial Gram-positive microbiota, potentially reducing risks such as secondary C. difficile infection.

Previous LpxC inhibitors, primarily hydroxamic acid-based, have shown poor drug-like properties, resulting in no approved therapies to date. Leveraging its proprietary chemistry platform, Blacksmith has developed novel non-hydroxamate LpxC inhibitors that demonstrate safety and efficacy in animal models and effectively target multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens.

About metalloenzymes and the Blacksmith platform
Metalloenzymes rely on metal ion cofactors within their active sites to perform critical biological functions. Historically, these targets have been challenging to drug due to limitations in small-molecule chemistry. The Blacksmith platform addresses these challenges through: 

• A proprietary fragment library of metal-binding pharmacophores (MBPs);
• A comprehensive database mapping metalloenzyme functions, metal cofactors, and disease associations;
• A unique metallo-CRISPR library of custom single guide RNAs;
• An advanced computational toolkit for docking, modeling, and structure-based drug design;
• A robust intellectual property portfolio spanning bioinorganic, medicinal, and computational chemistry for metalloenzyme-targeted therapeutics

About Blacksmith Medicines
Blacksmith Medicines is pioneering the development of therapeutics targeting metal-dependent enzymes, a class that represents over 30% of all known enzymes across major categories, including oxidoreductases, transferases, hydrolases, lyases, isomerases, and ligases. These enzymes rely on essential metal ions—such as magnesium, zinc, iron, manganese, and copper—for catalytic activity. Historically, metalloenzymes have been difficult to drug due to limitations in small-molecule chemistry.

Blacksmith's purpose-built platform overcomes these challenges by integrating a proprietary library of metal-binding pharmacophores with advanced computational modeling to design small-molecule inhibitors that precisely engage metal ions within enzyme active sites. This approach enables the rapid, predictable development of potent and selective inhibitors.

The company has established strategic collaborations with Basilea Pharmaceutica International Ltd., Cyteir Therapeutics Inc., Eli Lilly and Company, Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., and Zoetis LLC, and secured non-dilutive funding from CARB-X and NIH/NIAID. Blacksmith's investors include Lilly, Evotec A.G., MP Healthcare Partners, MagnaSci Ventures, and Alexandria Venture Investments.

For more information, visit www.BlacksmithMedicines.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Amy Conrad
Juniper Point
[email protected]
858-366-3243

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SOURCE Blacksmith Medicines