CBST Profile
Cubist
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (CBST) was a biopharmaceutical company focused
on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative
antibiotics for the treatment of serious and life-threatening
infections. The company was founded in 1992 and was headquartered in
Lexington, Massachusetts.
In December 2014, CBST was acquired
by Merck & Co., Inc.
for $9.5 billion. At the time of the acquisition, CBST had several
marketed products including Cubicin and Zerbaxa, as well as a robust
pipeline of antibiotic candidates in development.
Cubicin was a
lipopeptide antibiotic used to treat a variety of skin and bloodstream
infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. Zerbaxa was a combination
of ceftolozane and tazobactam used to treat complicated urinary tract
and intra-abdominal infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria.
The acquisition of CBST by Merck was part of a larger trend in the
pharmaceutical industry of consolidation through mergers and
acquisitions. Merck saw CBST as a strategic fit to expand its pipeline
of antibiotics and strengthen its position in the infectious disease
market.
In addition to its antibiotics, CBST was also a leader
in the development of diagnostic tests for bacterial infections,
including the Xpert MRSA/SA Blood Culture test, which was used to
detect MRSA and other Staphylococcus infections in blood samples.
Overall, CBST was an important player in the fight against
antibiotic-resistant infections and its acquisition by Merck has
helped to strengthen the development of new antibiotics and diagnostic
tools for infectiou
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