Analysis of the clinical pipeline of treatments for drug resistant bacterial infections: despite progress, more action is needed.

Butler, MS; Gigante, V; Sati, H; Paulin, S; Al-Sulaiman, L; Rex, JH; Fernandes, P; Arias, CA; Paul, M; Thwaites, GE; Czaplewski, L; Alm, RA; Lienhardt, C; Spigelman, M; Silver, LL; Ohmagari, N; Kozlov, R; Harbarth, S; Beyer, P

Journal article

Analysis of the clinical pipeline of treatments for drug resistant bacterial infections: despite progress, more action is needed.

Abstract:: There is an urgent global need for new strategies and drugs to control and treat multi-drug resistant bacterial infections. In 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a list of 12 antibiotic-resistant priority pathogens and began to critically analyze the antibacterial clinical pipeline. This review analyzes 'traditional' and 'non-traditional' antibacterial agents and modulators in clinical development current on 30 June 2021 with activity against the WHO priority pathogens, mycobacteria and Clostridioides difficile. Since 2017, 12 new antibacterial drugs have been approved globally, but only vaborbactam belongs to a new antibacterial class. Also innovative is the cephalosporin derivative cefiderocol, which incorporates an iron-chelating siderophore that facilitates Gram-negative bacteria cell entry. Overall, there were 76 antibacterial agents in clinical development (45 traditional and 31 non-traditional) with 28 in Phase 1, 32 in Phase 2, 12 in Phase 3 and four under regulatory evaluation. Forty-one out of 76 (54%) targeted WHO priority pathogens, 16 (21%) against mycobacteria, 15 (20%) against C. difficile and 4 (5%) are non-traditional agents with broad spectrum effects. Nineteen of the 76 antibacterial agents have new pharmacophores and four of these have new modes of actions not previously exploited by marketed antibacterial drugs. Despite there being 76 antibacterial clinical candidates, this analysis indicated that there were still relatively few clinically differentiated antibacterial agents in late-stage clinical development, especially against critical Priority Pathogens. We believe that future antibacterial R&D should focus on the development of innovative and clinically differentiated candidates that have clear and feasible progression pathways to the market.

Publication status:: Published

Peer review status:: Peer reviewed

Actions

Email

Email this record

Send the bibliographic details of this record to your email address.

Your Email
Please enter the email address that the record information will be sent to.

-
Your message (optional)
Please add any additional information to be included within the email.
Share
Cite

Cite this record

APA Style

Butler, M. S., Gigante, V., Sati, H., Paulin, S., Al-Sulaiman, L., Rex, J. H., Fernandes, P., Arias, C. A., Paul, M., Thwaites, G. E., Czaplewski, L., Alm, R. A., Lienhardt, C., Spigelman, M., Silver, L. L., Ohmagari, N., Kozlov, R., Harbarth, S., & Beyer, P. (2022). Analysis of the clinical pipeline of treatments for drug resistant bacterial infections: despite progress, more action is needed. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 66(3).

MLA Style

Butler, MS, et al. “Analysis of the Clinical Pipeline of Treatments for Drug Resistant Bacterial Infections: despite Progress, More Action Is Needed.” Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, vol. 66, no. 3, 2022.

Chicago Style

Butler, MS, V Gigante, H Sati, et al. 2022. “Analysis of the Clinical Pipeline of Treatments for Drug Resistant Bacterial Infections: despite Progress, More Action Is Needed.” Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 66 (3).
Print