Achaogen

What Achaogen does

Achaogen was a clinical-stage and subsequently commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2004 and headquartered in South San Francisco, California. The company specialized in discovering and developing broad-spectrum antibiotics targeting multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections, addressing the global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis. Its lead asset, Zemdri (plazomicin), was an FDA-approved aminoglycoside antibiotic indicated for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and bloodstream infections caused by resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The company's underlying technology focused on chemical modification of aminoglycoside scaffolds to circumvent common resistance mechanisms such as aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes.

The company's business model centered on specialty pharmaceutical commercialization of Zemdri to healthcare providers, primarily hospitals and infectious disease specialists treating serious resistant infections. Achaogen pursued a horizontal go-to-market approach with a single product franchise, supported by approximately 11-50 employees at peak operating scale. The company funded its operations through a combination of venture capital and government/non-dilutive sources, including multiple rounds from 5AM Ventures, ARCH Venture Partners, Frazier Healthcare Partners, Domain Associates, Venrock, Versant Ventures, Wellcome Trust, and CARB-X, with total disclosed funding exceeding $178 million across multiple rounds from 2004 through 2018. The company had been publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker AKAO.

Despite achieving FDA approval for Zemdri, Achaogen's commercial trajectory was untenable. The company generated only $8.73 million in gross revenue while sustaining a $186.51 million net loss, reflecting the well-documented market failure dynamic for new antibiotics where stewardship-driven volume constraints limit commercial return. Achaogen filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2019 and completed liquidation in May 2020, formally ceasing all operations. Residual securities traded on OTC Markets under the ticker AKAOQ.

Name

Achaogen

Website

https://achaogen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Achaogen was a South San Francisco biopharmaceutical company that developed broad-spectrum antibiotics, including FDA-approved Zemdri (plazomicin), targeting multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections in healthcare settings. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and liquidated in 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Anti-infective Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Infectious Disease & Antimicrobials Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAG)

Keywords

• Antibiotic drug development
• Biopharmaceutical research
• Gram-negative infections
• Aminoglycoside antibiotics
• Anti-infective therapeutics

Headquarters

HQ city

South San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain

Core offering

Achaogen is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops broad-spectrum antibiotics targeting multi-drug resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Its primary commercial product, Zemdri (plazomicin), is an aminoglycoside antibiotic indicated for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and bloodstream infections caused by resistant bacteria.

Product overview

Achaogen was a small-cap biotech company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2019 and completed liquidation in May 2020. The company developed antibiotics, including Zemdri (plazomicin), an aminoglycoside antibiotic. Due to the company's liquidation and the limited source data available, detailed product portfolio information cannot be fully documented. The Zemdri domain (zemdri.com) currently redirects to a security verification page rather than active product information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zemdri (plazomicin)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Direct peers

• Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals: Tetraphase developed eravacycline, a tetracycline antibiotic targeting MDR infections including complicated intra-abdominal and urinary tract infections. It was a direct comparable to Achaogen in the small-cap hospital antibiotic space and ultimately followed a similar path, acquired by La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company in 2020 after commercial underperformance.
• Melinta Therapeutics: Melinta Therapeutics commercialized antibiotics including Baxdela (delafloxacin) and Orbactiv for MDR bacterial infections. Like Achaogen, it was a small-cap hospital antibiotic developer that filed for bankruptcy in 2019, illustrating the shared commercial challenge in this category.
• Paratek Pharmaceuticals: Paratek developed and commercialized Nuzyra (omadacycline), a broad-spectrum antibiotic approved for community-acquired pneumonia and skin infections, including activity against MDR pathogens. It is a direct small-cap hospital antibiotic peer targeting similar prescribers and stewardship-constrained channels.
• Spero Therapeutics: Spero Therapeutics developed antibiotics for MDR Gram-negative infections, including Tebipenem HBr for complicated urinary tract infections. It pursued a similar regulatory and commercialization strategy in the same hospital-treated MDR space as Achaogen.
• Iterum Therapeutics: Iterum Therapeutics developed sulopenem, an oral and IV antibiotic for uncomplicated and complicated urinary tract infections caused by MDR pathogens. It directly competed with Zemdri in the cUTI indication and shared Achaogen's small-cap, single-asset risk profile.
• Entasis Therapeutics: Entasis Therapeutics was a small-cap biotech developing targeted antibacterial therapies for MDR Gram-negative infections, including Xerava (eravacycline) and durlobactam. It operated in the same narrow therapeutic niche as Achaogen.

Broad incumbents

• Shionogi: Shionogi licensed ex-US rights to Zemdri from Achaogen and is a broader Japanese pharmaceutical incumbent with deep antibiotic development capabilities. It is comparable as the global commercial partner and a major player in the same anti-infective category.
• Merck & Co. Merck is a broad incumbent pharmaceutical company with a significant anti-infective portfolio (e.g., Zerbaxa, Recarbrio). It overlaps with Achaogen in the hospital antibiotic market but operates at a vastly larger scale and across multiple therapeutic areas.
• Pfizer: Pfizer maintains a broad anti-infective franchise (including Zavicefta and other beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitors) targeting MDR Gram-negative infections. It is a broad incumbent competing in the same hospital prescriber channels as Achaogen.

Emerging players

• VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals: VenatoRx develops antibiotics targeting MDR Gram-negative infections, including cefepime-taniborbactam. It is an emerging private peer operating in the same narrow therapeutic space that Achaogen once led.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/achaogen
• Facebookfacebook.com/208924565797090
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/achaogen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Achaogen