Infectious diseases are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. The global market for all infectious diseases therapeutics is expected to approach $100 billion dollars by 2022 and is expanding at least 8% per year for the foreseeable future.
 
The antibiotic market is ~$40B and growing but, antibiotic resistance is a growing threat that will eventually undermine the treatment advancements that have been made since antibiotics first widely became used in the 1940’s. In the US alone, there are approximately 2 million antibiotic-resistant infections each year leading to 23,000 deaths (CDC).
 
Outside the US, over 700,000 deaths are attributed to resistant bacteria. However, given recent trends in resistance, these numbers are expected to skyrocket to over 10,000,000 deaths/year by 2050, and the US will not be immune to such a catastrophe. Therefore, the major growth opportunity for the infectious disease market lies in treating these antibiotic-resistant bacteria, in order to head off the impending global antibiotic resistance epidemic.
 
The influenza (flu) market is a multi-billion dollar segment that is currently dominated by Tamiflu. However, Tamiflu is becoming less effective every year as drug resistance surges, meaning that new treatment options, like IMT504, are desperately needed. There are up to 700,000 deaths/year around the world, and most experts are predicting a global pandemic that could kill millions. Therefore, IMT504 is well positioned to aid in this battle.
 
Rabies represents a medically important segment of the infectious disease market that, to date, has not been adequately served. Rabies is the most lethal organism on earth, with a fatality rate of essentially 100%. In addition, rabies consistently impacts more lives annually than other viruses that are in the news, like Ebola. For example, in the 40-year history of known Ebola infections ~15,000 people have died, but in that same 40-year period, over 3 million people have died from rabies.
 

Fatality Rates of diseases:

There are currently no effective treatments for the approximately 60,000 people who develop an active rabies infection in the brain, all of whom will die. Consequently, an effective treatment would open up a whole new market and provide much needed medical support for those afflicted by this life-threatening disease.