Novel therapies

Novel therapies often refer to unique therapies that have not been used before in a specific field. This can either be newly-developed antibiotics that have not yet been distributed widely or are currently in randomised controlled trials, or non-antibiotic therapies.

Below are examples of novel therapies for infections caused by NFGNB:

• P. aeruginosa

  • Cefiderocol (S-649266), a novel siderophore cephalosporin, has been shown to be very potent against P. aeruginosa and stable against all β-lactamases.

  • Monoclonal antibodies – e.g. aerubumab, an anti-P. aeruginosa IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds to the bacterial surface, has entered phase 2 trials (NCT03027609).

  • Phage therapy was also trialled (PHAGEBURN: NCT02116010) to treat wound infections including those caused by P. aeruginosa.

• A. baumannii

  • Plazomicin, a next-generation aminoglycoside, has been the centre of multiple in vitro studies – both alone and in combination with other antibiotics.

  • Cefiderocol is also being researched in vitro against A. baumannii, as well as P. aeruginosa and other gram negative bacteria that are carbapenem-resistant.

  • Schooley et al. (2017) developed a personalised bacteriophage-based therapy for a patient with pancreatitis complicated with A. baumannii infection.

  • Adjuvant therapies, such as the LpxC inhibitor (PF-5081090), potentiate activity of current antibiotics against A. baumannii.

These novel therapies show the diversity of research going into combating NFGNB infections. In the last few steps, we will explore some of these infections in the context of patients.