Cubist’s Time To Shine: Antibiotic Specialist Acquires Optimer, Trius

Cubist will rely on its experience in infectious disease to drive growth of Dificid for Clostridium difficile infection and to launch tedizolid for skin infections, but the commercial market for new antibiotics is daunting and re-creating the success of Cubicin won’t be easy.

Cubist Pharmaceuticals Inc. made a bold play that will position it as one of the world’s leading antibiotic marketers with the announcement July 30 that it will acquire two rivals, Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc.and Trius TherapeuticsInc.

The acquisitions will reduce Cubist’s dependence on its primary revenue generator, the antibiotic Cubicin (daptomycin), but will increase its reliance...