A pill instead of an injection
Scientists are developing a new treatment option for multi-resistant infections
Scientists have developed a new treatment option for some multi–resistant infections, - writes Liverpool news with reference to an article in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (McEntee et al., Pharmacodynamics of Tebipenem: New Options for Oral Treatment of Multi-Drug Resistant Gram-Negative Infections).
Antimicrobial resistance is a global and serious threat to human health, which makes it difficult to treat previously easily treatable infections and, according to the World Health Organization, is the cause of 25,000 deaths per year in the European Union alone.
Gram-negative bacteria are a group of medically important bacteria that can cause severe infections in patients of the UK National Health Service institutions. They are increasingly resistant to multiple antibiotics and in some cases untreatable. The emergence of multi-resistant gram-negative bacteria is a serious and growing threat to public health.
Carbapenems are a class of highly effective antibiotics commonly used to treat severe infections or high-risk bacterial infections. This class of antibiotics is usually intended for the treatment of known multi-resistant infections or similar ones. Carbapenems are usually administered intravenously, which requires hospitalization and the installation of an intravenous catheter.
Tebipenem pivoxil hydrobromide (SPR994) is a new carbapenem being developed by Spero Therapeutics as an oral antimicrobial agent. Such treatment may provide an earlier discharge from the hospital or the possibility of treating complex infections without hospitalization.
The consortium, led by Professor William Hope from the Center for Antimicrobial Pharmacodynamics at the University of Liverpool, used a number of experimental model systems to determine the appropriate dosage in a phase III clinical trial of patients with complicated urinary tract infections. The team used a combination of laboratory models simulating human diseases and combined this with a number of mathematical and statistical methods to predict the appropriate dosage. This approach maximizes the likelihood that the right dose will be taken correctly the first time.
An accelerated drug development program of this type ensures that new antibiotics will be available to patients at the earliest opportunity, and provides new opportunities for the treatment of infections for which there are currently few or no therapeutic agents.
Professor Hope said: "The program, conducted in collaboration with Spero Therapeutics, is a leading example of the main mission of the Center for Antimicrobial Pharmacodynamics, which is to accelerate the development of new antibiotics for patients with antimicrobial resistance. Working with Spero Therapeutics has allowed us to use significant experience in the development of antimicrobial drugs and ensures that tebipenem can become a future treatment option for patients of the National Health Service in the UK and around the world."
"We were lucky to work with the Center for Antimicrobial Pharmacodynamics on the selection of the dosage of the drug...," said Tom Parr, chief researcher at Spero Therapeutics. He also added that Spero employees are looking forward to providing the public with the results of their research on the treatment of complex urinary tract infections.
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