New antibiotics - cautious optimism

We recently reported (here) on the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and discussed how antimicrobial patent filings have faired over the last 10 years. Despite our patent filing analysis showing there to be an increase in antimicrobial patent filings, we found that the relative numbers of patent filings were still low, compared to other clinical fields, such as anti-cancer agents, for example, and that the number of antibacterial agents in clinical and pre-clinical developments is still worryingly low. As only a very small number of initially discovered drugs successfully pass through clinical development and into commercial production, it would be expected that a relatively low number of patent applications directed at new antimicrobials, would lead to a tiny number of antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, making it to market.

However, I am pleased to report that last week, I read about two new antibiotics entering late stages of clinical development. It was reported that Roche (here) was moving its novel antibiotic zosurabalpin into phase 3 clinical testing for carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and that GSK had plans to seek approval of a new antibiotic they had licensed from Spero, for treating complicated urinary tract infections after the drug had succeeded in a phase 3 trial (here).

This is cause for expressing some cautious optimism, as any new antibiotics making it to market are likely to be very important in the battle against AMR. Of course, the antibiotics have not yet made it to market, but hopefully they will. Moreover, it shows that there is still an appetite for large pharmaceutical companies to embark on antimicrobial development and this is to be celebrated. Whilst we need many more antimicrobials to be successfully developed and used to treat patients, in order to combat the threat posed by AMR, we can only hope this will serve as a catalyst and incentive for others.