Antabio and the EIC Accelerator: An Antibiotic Past Phase 1

Antabio, founded in 2009 in Labège near Toulouse, develops treatments for infections caused by bacteria that resist the strongest antibiotics. Its lead drug pairs meropenem, an established antibiotic, with ANT3310, now named pilabactam, a molecule that blocks the enzymes some bacteria use to destroy it. The EIC project said the combination was effective in preclinical tests against all three pathogens the WHO rates as a critical priority, according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,500,000 towards a €5.6 million project from February 2023 to December 2025. Antabio promised to "conduct three clinical trials and next out-license ANT3310 to a pharmaceutical partner", and forecast market approval by 2029 and "over €10bn in sales within 13 years". All three Phase 1 studies are listed as completed on ClinicalTrials.gov. No licensing deal has been announced. In December 2023 the AMR Action Fund led a €25 million Series B with the EIC Fund to take the drug "up to completion of Phase 2 trials"; no Phase 2 study has been registered.

Where Antabio Stands Now

In April 2026 Antabio presented new data at the ESCMID Global congress, where it said its Phase 1 studies showed "favorable safety and PK profiles in renally-impaired subjects and good lung penetration in healthy volunteers", according to its announcement. In March 2026 it agreed to work with the GARDP Foundation on early antibiotic discovery. Neither announcement gives a date for a patient trial.

The Technology: Restoring an Old Antibiotic

Pilabactam inhibits serine beta-lactamases, including the KPC and OXA enzymes found in carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Acinetobacter baumannii, which restores meropenem's activity, the final report says. The first trial, in 72 healthy volunteers, found the drug "well-tolerated at all doses with no serious adverse events", Antabio said in September 2024. Its intended uses are hospital and ventilator-associated pneumonia and complicated urinary tract infections.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The report says the renal study was completed in early 2025 and the lung study in the fourth quarter of 2025, after FDA approval of an investigational new drug application in December 2024. It also lists a safer synthesis route, a more stable formulation and a new GMP batch. The out-licensing step did not happen during the project. CORDIS still lists the project as signed.

1. Three clinical trialsDeliveredAll completed, 2024 to 2025.
2. GMP manufacturingDeliveredPer final report.
3. Pharma licensing partnerNot announcedNone by September 2026.
4. Market approval by 2029UnverifiedNo patient trial yet.

The Money

Antabio lost €2.9 million in 2023, €3.85 million in 2024 and €4.71 million in 2025, according to Pappers. It held €10.6 million in cash at the end of 2025, but its financial debt rose from €4.53 million to €14.2 million that year, and €13.6 million of its debts were due within a year. Its equity fell from €14 million to €12.6 million.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

The WHO lists the bacteria Antabio targets as critical priorities. The EIC and the AMR Action Fund backed a French candidate through early trials. The expensive patient studies still lie ahead, and so does the partner that the project said would take the drug to market.

The Verdict

Antabio and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.