CARB-X to fund development of new class of antibiotics
CARB-X announced today that it's awarding more than $2 million to Melinta Therapeutics to help the company advance a new class of antibiotics into clinical development.
According to a CARB-X (the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) press release, Melinta's novel pyrrolocytosine compounds have been designed de novo, from the ground up, in a site not previously exploited by other successful classes of antibiotics that target the ribosome. They are being developed to optimize properties that allow then to get in and stay in bacterial cells. In preclinical studies, pyrrolocytosines have shown activity against all ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter).
"Our structure-based design efforts to create and optimize the pyrrolocytosine class of antibiotics have shown exciting promise, with several compounds demonstrating comprehensive activity and preclinical effect across the full set of bacterial 'superbugs,' " Melinta Chief Scientific Officer Erin Duffy, PhD, said in the press release. "We believe this new class of antibiotics could be transformational in the fight against these urgent threats."
Under the terms of the agreement, Melinta will receive an initial award of up to $2.3 million from CARB-X, with the possibility of an additional $3.9 million based on achievement of certain project milestones.
Since it was established in 2016, CARB-X has awarded more than $82 million to 32 projects in seven countries.
May 7 CARB-X press release
German GP survey finds strong awareness of antimicrobial resistance
A survey of general practitioners (GPs) in Germany found a strong awareness of antimicrobial resistance but also identified barriers to rational antibiotic use in primary care, according to a study in BMC Infectious Diseases.
The survey, designed by a multidisciplinary team as part of a broader intervention study promoting rational antibiotic use, comprised 32 questions grouped around four issues: awareness of antimicrobial resistance, use of antibiotics, guidelines/sources of information, and socio-demographic factors. The questionnaire was mailed to 987 GPs with registered practices in eastern Germany in May 2015.
Overall, 34% (340/987) of the GPs responded to the survey. Most of the participants assumed that multidrug-resistant infections were a result of multiple factors, with 80.9% (275/34) identifying infection control in hospitals, 80.3% (273/340) the use of antibiotics by GPs, and 79.1% (261/340) the use of antibiotics in livestock as the main drivers for drug resistance. In addition, 70.2% (239/340) believed that their own prescribing behavior influenced the drug-resistance situation in their area. GPs with longer work experience (more than 25 years) assumed less individual influence on drug resistance than colleagues with less than 7 years of experience as practicing physicians.
However, only 39.1% (133/340) of the GPs indicated they frequently use guidelines for antibiotic therapy, and only 21.8% (74/340) answered that they "often" or "very often" apply a delayed prescribing strategy for dealing with uncomplicated respiratory tract infection, even though 99.1% (337/340) were familiar with the strategy. Also, 36.2% (123/340) responded that an acute infection with yellow or green sputum is an indication for an antibiotic prescription, a belief the authors argue has questionable diagnostic value in the case of an acute respiratory infection.
"This survey shows clear targets for further approaches to reduce the prevalence of drug-resistant organisms," the authors conclude.
May 4 BMC Infect Dis study