Promising signs from new ‘Trojan horse’ antibiotic treatment

Early clinical trials have shown encouraging developments in a newly created antibiotic, which acts like the Greek legend’s Trojan horse, by tricking bacteria into allowing it to enter.

Clinical trials on urinary tract and kidney infection patients showed that the drug was as effective as current treatments.

Speaking of the trials, Research leader Dr Simon Portsmouth said “During an acute infection, one of our innate immune responses is to create an iron-poor environment. In response, bacteria increase their iron intake.”

This new antibiotic, cefiderocol, fixes itself to iron and the bacteria which cause the infection transport it past their defences and inside their cells.

Dr Portsmouth went on to say “Cefiderocol was found to be both safe and tolerable.”

Bacteria is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, which is making infections progressively more difficult to treat. Current predictions estimate that by the year 2050, 10 million people are likely to die every year from drug-resistant infections.

Experts have stressed that new groups of antibiotics which attack bacteria in new ways, are critically needed.

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s Professor Serge Mostowy, said “This important study offers hope for a new antibiotic that could potentially be an alternative to treating them, but we are not there yet.”

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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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