BioVersys announces first patient first visit in Phase 2b RIV-CARE trial of BV100
- BV100 is a potential best-in-class anti-infective agent in treating hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP), ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP) and bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex (CRABC).
BASEL, SWITZERLAND - EQS Newswire - 29 October 2026 - BioVersys AG (SIX: BIOV), a multi-asset, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on research and development of novel antibacterial products for serious life-threatening infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria, announced today the first patient first visit in RIV-CARE, an open label Phase 2b differentiation trial of BV100.
RIV-CARE will enrol approximately 100 patients with suspected or confirmed hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP), ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP) and bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex (CRABC). RIV-CARE aims to compare BV100 plus low-dose polymyxin B in combination with different background antibiotics (ceftazidime/avibactam or Cefiderocol) versus best available therapy across multiple geographies, to provide real-world evidence of clinical practice in settings with very high levels of drug resistance.
Dr. Glenn E Dale, Chief Development Officer of BioVersys: "CRABC remains amongst the most difficult to treat bacterial pathogens in hospitalized patients, with mortality reaching up to 50% globally due to very limited treatment options. Our RIV-CARE study allows us to bring a promising and novel treatment option, BV100, to patients who need it most. Importantly, RIV-CARE allows us to generate evidence exactly in settings with the highest resistance and greatest need."
Professor David Paterson, Director of ADVANCE-ID, said: "Half of people with serious CRAB infections will die. Doctors desperately need new antibiotic options for treating these infections so we can lower the death rate. We hope that the RIV-CARE trial will help determine if BV100 plus low-dose polymyxin B is a safe and effective option for these infections."
The last patient enrolled is anticipated towards end of 2027. RIV-CARE is conducted by the ADVANCE-ID clinical trial network, thanks to the generous contribution of Wellcome with SGD 22 million (c. USD 17m or CHF 14m). The non-dilutive funding from Wellcome offsets approximately 2/3 of the trial cost.
Dr. Florian von Groote-Bidlingmaier, Head of Clinical Research, Infectious Disease at Wellcome, said: "Antimicrobial resistance remains an urgent global health threat, and accelerating the development of new antibiotics into clinical use is a high priority. Partnerships like the one for this trial, that bring together industry, academia, clinical expertise and philanthropy, are vital for accelerating antibiotic R&D. The enrolment of the first patient in RIV-CARE is an important milestone, and it is exciting a potential new treatment is being evaluated in settings and communities already bearing a high burden of drug resistance."
In September 2026, BV100 was granted Fast Track Designation by the US FDA, under the Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) Designation received in 2019. These designations make BV100 eligible for priority FDA review, increased communication on clinical trial design and data requirements, and a five-year extension of market exclusivity in the US.
BV100 is currently being studied in two clinical trials: the pivotal Phase 3 global registration trial, RIV-TARGET, which announced first patient first visit in April 2026, and the open-label Phase 2b differentiation trial, RIV-CARE. First submissions for regulatory approval are anticipated by mid-2028.
Dr. Marc Gitzinger, Chief Executive Officer of BioVersys, said: "We are pleased to report first patient first visit in RIV-CARE, our Phase 2b differentiation trial which is now recruiting in parallel with our RIV-TARGET Phase 3 trial. Together, RIV-TARGET and RIV-CARE represent a focused dual-trial strategy intended to support both regulatory approval and future commercial uptake of BV100. RIV-Target will deliver the pivotal data for registration, while RIV-CARE is designed to help answer the questions physicians will ask at the bed side, providing evidence on how BV100 performs in comparison with best available therapies in multiple geographies. The interim analysis of RIV-CARE, anticipated for H1 2027, will provide an important early read-out."
RIV-CARE Phase 2b study design
RIV-CARE aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of BV100 in combination with low dose polymyxin B plus ceftazidime/avibactam or cefiderocol in patients with suspected or confirmed CRABC nosocomial pneumonia (VABP and HABP) and BSI of non-urinary tract origin. This is an open-label study, and therefore, no blinding will be done.
The study is divided into two parts (Part A and Part B), recruiting in parallel. Approximately 90 patients will be recruited in Part A, and approximately 10 subjects will be recruited in Part B, with enrolment ending once Part A enrolment is complete.
In Part A, patients will be randomized 1:1:1, to one of the three treatment groups until the CRABC m-MITT population includes 30 evaluable subjects per group:
- Group 1: 300 mg BV100 in combination with 500,000 IU (50 mg) polymyxin B infused over 2 hours every 12 hours (q12h), plus 2 g/0.5 g ceftazidime/avibactam, infused over 2 hours every 8 hours (q8h).
- Group 2: 300 mg BV100 in combination with 500,000 IU (50 mg) polymyxin B infused over 2 hours every 12 hours (q12h), plus 2 g cefiderocol infused over 3 hours every 8 hours (q8h).
- Group 3: Best Available Therapy, which is determined by the site for each individual patient according to local epidemiology and the patient's antibiotic history.
This study follows the successful completion of a Phase II study that showed that BV100 plus polymyxin B halved all-cause mortality compared with best available therapy, meaning 28-day mortality of 25% compared to 28-day mortality of 60% in best available therapy. In vitro, the combination of BV100 with low-dose polymyxin B and cefiderocol showed synergy and a reduction in the emergence of resistance, suggesting improved treatment outcomes in patients.
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About BioVersys
BioVersys AG is a multi-asset, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing and commercializing novel antibacterial products for serious life-threatening infections caused by multi-drug resistant ("MDR") bacteria. Derived from the company's two internal technology platforms (TRIC and Ansamycin Chemistry), candidates are designed and developed to overcome resistance mechanisms, block virulence production and directly affect the pathogenesis of harmful bacteria towards the identification of new treatment options in the antimicrobial and microbiome fields. This enables BioVersys to address the high unmet medical need for new treatments against life-threatening resistant bacterial infections and bacteria-exacerbated chronic inflammatory microbiome disorders. The company's most advanced research and development programs address nosocomial infections of Acinetobacter baumannii (BV100, Phase 3), and tuberculosis (alpibectir, Phase 2, in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and a consortium of the University of Lille, France). BioVersys is located in the biotech hub of Basel, Switzerland.
About ADVANCE-ID
ADVANcing Clinical Evidence in Infectious Diseases (ADVANCE-ID) is a clinical research network involving more than 200 hospitals across Asia, with a base at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The mission of ADVANCE-ID is to conduct high-quality clinical trials that have a global impact on management of infections. ADVANCE-ID was set up in March 2022 with a grant from Wellcome and funds from other institutions including, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Duke-NUS Medical School, NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. Email: hello@advance-id.network Tel : +65 6516 4988 https://www.advance-id.network/
About Wellcome
Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we're taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.
About BV100
BV100 is a novel formulation of rifabutin suitable for intravenous administration, with a recently discovered novel mode of action showing an active uptake of rifabutin into the Gram-negative bacterial species, Acinetobacter baumannii. For the first time, BV100 allows for the targeting of the RNA-polymerase enzyme in Gram-negative bacteria with a human-suitable dose. BV100 is being developed for the treatment of infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii calcoaceticus complex (ABC), including carbapenem-resistant ABC (CRABC) in critically important indications of ventilator associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP), hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP) and bloodstream infections (BSI). BV100 was granted US FDA Fast Track Designation in 2026 and QIDP Designation in May 2019, making BV100 eligible for priority FDA review and a five-year extension of market exclusivity upon approval of the first QIDP indication.
About Acinetobacter baumannii
Acinetobacter baumannii calcoaceticus complex (ABC) are Gram-negative bacteria found in the environment (e.g., in soil and water) and an opportunistic pathogen in humans, typically infecting critically ill and immunocompromised patients, that can result in severe pneumonia and bloodstream infections in addition to affecting other parts of the body. ABC is considered a significant worldwide threat in the healthcare setting given its ability to survive for prolonged periods on surfaces, combined with its ability to develop or acquire resistance to standard of care antibiotics, e.g. carbapenems. Carbapenem-resistance as well as multi-drug resistance (MDR) rates for ABC are among the highest recorded for any bacteria in current times (The Lancet 2022; 399: 629–55). Incidence and resistance rates for ABC are trending upwards and COVID-19 has exacerbated this significantly. BioVersys forecasts the annual number of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii infections in hospitals to have surpassed one million globally and due to the limited treatment options, such infections come with high (up to 50%) mortality rates.
