The Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine of University of Oxford is developing a rectal formulation of a cephalosporin antibiotic used to treat neonatal sepsis. Rectal administration of antibiotics is a safe and effective method for infants and children. The Department is hoping to develop a stable rectal formula of the antibiotic through a Phase 1 study in humans, Phase 2 trial in infants, and a Phase 3 trial to determine its effect on neonatal mortality. The proposed antibiotic can be administered by community-based interventions and potentially save millions of infants. The Department is currently seeking funding for two years in order to begin with pharmaceutical research and carry out preliminary animal studies. This technology came to our attention through the Saving Lives at Birth Challenge, 2011. USAID, the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and The World Bank have joined to launch Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development.