What can pharma companies do to get promising antimicrobials to the frontlines of drug resistance?
According to the report, the race to create antibiotics and antifungals to conquer superbugs is falling perilously short, which the authors say is putting people across the world at risk.
However, a shift in research and development (R&D), including investment in access and stewardship planning, can make a significant impact against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
As most large research-based pharmaceutical companies are no longer active in antimicrobial research and development (R&D), there are very few new treatments making it to market, leaving patients vulnerable to the rapid spread of AMR.
Despite this reality, a handful of projects in late-stage clinical development could have a significant impact.
Difficult-to-treat invasive, rare fungal mold infections
The foundation is tracking five drugs which include gepotidacin, a small molecule commercialized by GSK with a leading phase 3 program in urinary tract infections and F2G’s olorofim, a first of the new orotomide class of antifungals in development for the treatment of difficult-to-treat invasive, rare fungal mold infections.
Innoviva’s zoliflodacin is another treatment being tracked and is said to be one of the most promising new treatments for gonorrhoeae currently in phase 3 clinical trials. According to a report in Nature Scientific Reports, studies have found very little resistance to the drug currently circulating in strains, and in-vitro experiments demonstrated that it is difficult to induce resistance.
Venatorx’s cefepime-taniborbactam is also under the foundation’s radar. The beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor (BL/BLI) combination antibiotic is being developed for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and hospital acquired bacterial pneumonia.
Pfizer's recently approved aztreonam-avibactam (Emblaveo) is the first β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor antibiotic combination approved in the European Union for treating serious infections in adult patients caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria, including metallo-β-lactamase-producing bacteria. Emblaveo was reviewed under European Medicines Agency accelerated assessment procedure, used when a pharmaceutical product is of major interest for public health and therapeutic innovation.
People living on the frontlines of drug resistance
Collectively, these projects could save at least 160,000 lives annually by providing much-needed medicines to treat drug-resistant gonorrhoea, urinary tract infections, intra-abdominal infections, respiratory infections, and invasive fungal infections. While these diseases affect a wide range of patients globally, women and children- especially those living in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs)- are disproportionately affected.
Jayasree Iyer, CEO, at the Access to Medicine Foundation, said: “We have a small, but effective, arsenal in the race to combat drug-resistant infections. The difference between us winning or losing this race depends on how companies enable access to people living on the frontlines of drug resistance.”
The foundation said that findings reveal that companies are employing diverse range of strategies within their access and stewardship plans but structured advance planning has not yet become standard.
Encouragingly, it said, four of the five companies in scope, GSK, Pfizer, Innoviva, and Venatorx, are conducting or initiating clinical trials that directly target children, signalling progress in closing the gap between adult and paediatric access.
Tackling the sheer scale and pace of drug resistance
Commitments for registration were identified in five LMICs: China, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Thailand. However, for 108 of 113 LMICs in scope, where people also face high burdens of the diseases targeted by these projects, it is currently unclear whether any of them will be made available upon initial approval.
The report identifies opportunities and recommendations for companies in focus and outlines actionable steps for global stakeholders in antimicrobial R&D to promote widespread adoption of advance access and stewardship planning.
Marijn Verhoef, director of operations and research, at the Access to Medicine Foundation, said: “Tackling the sheer scale and pace of drug resistance is a complex global health issue that will require action from pharmaceutical companies across several areas. This includes providing appropriate access and implementing stewardship measures to safeguard the effectiveness of innovative antimicrobials. Failure to do this will limit efforts to tackle drug resistance.”
The foundation added that as global health stakeholders prepare for 2024 UN General Assembly's High-level Meeting on AMR, this report comes at a crucial moment, emphasising the urgent gaps that need attention.
