MRSA Infection

How IBM Plans To Kill the Staph Superbug - Forbes

How IBM Plans To Kill the Staph Superbug - Forbes.

It’s an unlikely battle for a blue-chip IT company like IBM to be in the middle of, but the company may just have cracked the MRSA problem with chemical technology originally intended to… what else?… drive down the size of computer chips. “We have a broad-based program where we leverage chemistry and nanotech from years of building materials for IBM products and port them over to other realms,” explains James Hedrick, a polymer chemist in the Advanced Organic Materials division of IBM Research. Part of that program has included creating new types of polymers that have multiple potential applications. Antibiotic Stewardship in the U.S. Hedrick’s research has translated to the creation of what he calls “broad spectrum antimicrobials.” “The mechanism through which they fight bacteria is very different from the way an antibiotic works,” Hedrick says. “They try to mimic what the immune system does: the polymer attaches to the bacteria’s membrane and then facilitates destabilization of the membrane. It falls apart, everything falls out and there’s little opportunity for it to develop resistance to these polymers.”

NIH Awards ImmuVen $1.68 Million for MRSA Therapeutics

NIH Awards ImmuVen $1.68 Million for MRSA Therapeutics | Business Wire.

ImmuVen (www.immuven.com) was awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant totaling $1.68 million from the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIH) for continuing development of its therapeutic pipeline (IMV0123) against superantigens produced by methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal aureus. This award continues the work previously supported by a successfully completed Phase I SBIR grant. ImmuVen’s biotherapeutic approach to neutralizing superantigen toxicity is uniquely positioned to intervene in deaths and morbidity caused by superantigen production in a host of S. aureus infections including pneumonia and endocarditis. The goal of this award is to provide support for bringing IMV0123 through a pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) meeting with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in addition to completing major milestones in the preclinical development of the therapeutic.

Rapid identification of superbugs and new drugs to combat them

Rapid identification of superbugs and new drugs to combat them.

“We have made progress on MRSA – having discovered how marine bacteria join together two antibiotics they make independently to produce a potent chemical that can kill drug-resistant strains of MRSA,” explains Chris, Professor of Molecular Genetics. “One high priority now is to use this principle to generate families of new hybrids that can be tested against MRSA but also things like E.coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, because that’s where there is currently the greatest need.” “We mustn’t be complacent about MRSA, as it might become a really worrying problem again, but we need always to be developing new antibiotics – the time to be developing them isn’t when there’s a crisis.”

Antistaphylococcal activity of DNA-interactive pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimers and PBD-biaryl conjugates

Antistaphylococcal activity of DNA-interactive pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimers and PBD-biaryl conjugates.

Objectives Pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimers, tethered through inert propyldioxy or pentyldioxy linkers, possess potent bactericidal activity against a range of Gram-positive bacteria by virtue of their capacity to cross-link duplex DNA in sequence-selective fashion. Here we attempt to improve the antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity profile of PBD-containing conjugates by extension of dimer linkers and replacement of one PBD unit with phenyl-substituted or benzo-fused heterocycles that facilitate non-covalent interactions with duplex DNA. Methods DNase I footprinting was used to identify high-affinity DNA binding sites. A staphylococcal gene microarray was used to assess epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus 16 phenotypes induced by PBD conjugates. Molecular dynamics simulations were employed to investigate the accommodation of compounds within the DNA helix. Results Increasing the length of the linker in PBD dimers led to a progressive reduction in antibacterial activity, but not in their cytotoxic capacity. Complex patterns of DNA binding were noted for extended PBD dimers. Modelling of DNA strand cross-linking by PBD dimers indicated distortion of the helix. A majority (26 of 43) of PBD-biaryl conjugates possessed potent antibacterial activity with little or no helical distortion and a more favourable cytotoxicity profile. Bactericidal activity of PBD-biaryl conjugates was determined by inability to excise covalently bound drug molecules from bacterial duplex DNA. Conclusions PBD-biaryl conjugates have a superior antibacterial profile compared with PBD dimers such as ELB-21. We have identified six PBD-biaryl conjugates as potential drug development candidates.

An Antibiotic That Targets Staphylococcus aureus

An Antibiotic That Inhibits a Late Step in Wall Teichoic Acid Biosynthesis Induces the Cell Wall Stress Stimulon in Staphylococcus aureus.

We examined here the effects of targocil on S. aureus using transmission electron microscopy and gene expression profiling. We report that targocil treatment leads to multicellular clusters containing swollen cells displaying evidence of osmotic stress, strongly induces the cell wall stress stimulon, and reduces the expression of key virulence genes, including dltABCD and capsule genes. We conclude that WTA inhibitors that act at a late stage of the biosynthetic pathway may be useful as antibiotics, and we present evidence that they could be particularly useful in combination with beta-lactams.

Group asks FDA to treat superbugs like rare diseases to aid drug development

Group asks FDA to treat superbugs like rare diseases | Reuters.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) offered a plan on Thursday that would allow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review certain kinds of antibiotics like it reviews "orphan" drugs for rare diseases, making it easier for companies to gain approval. Misuse of medications and other factors have fueled the evolution of multi-drug resistant bacteria, or "superbugs", for which there are few treatment options. These include drug-resistant strains of MRSA and C-difficile, which have wrought havoc in U.S. hospitals, as well as infections common in the developing world, like tuberculosis.

Affinium doses first patient in AFN-1252 staph drug trial

Affinium doses first patient in AFN-1252 drug trial - Pharmaceutical Business Review.

Affinium Pharmaceuticals has dosed first patient in a multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial investigating oral AFN-1252 in acute bacterial skin & skin structure infections (ABSSSI). AFN-1252, the clinical candidate from the company's FASII program, is designed to selectively target the staphylococcal FabI enzyme. The Phase 2 trial is designed to confirm efficacy and tolerability of 200 mg of oral AFN-1252 dosed twice daily for 5-14 days in patients with staphylococcal skin infections.

Treating MRSA and superbugs with nanotechnology and nanomedicine

Treating MRSA and superbugs with nanotechnology and nanomedicine - Healthcare Global.

We feel that this may be significant. In the last decade, there has been an enormous increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) and fluoroquinolone-resistant E. coli. Most modern antibiotics act on specific molecular targets within bacteria. This yields therapeutic specificity but allows resistance development through mutation (among other mechanisms) since the bacterial cell morphology is generally preserved. In contrast, our polymers like certain cationic host defence peptides act on the entire cellular membrane via electrostatic attraction and subsequent pore generation. This may be very important in treating MRSA.

e-Therapeutics to trial MRSA Drug

e-Therapeutics says four drugs will enter clinical trials this year - Proactiveinvestors (UK).

Biotech firm e-Therapeutics (LON:ETX) is looking forward to an important year - as it advances several of its drugs into clinical development. In a statement this afternoon, the firm said four drugs would be entering clinical trials this year and it is looking forward to receiving the first data. Anti-cancer drug ETS2101 will undergo a phase 1 programme beginning in the first quarter of this year. In Q2, the phase 1 trial for ETX1153c concerning C. difficile infection will begin. A phase IIb trial for anti-depressant ETS6103 will begin in the third quarter, while, for MRSA, the phase 1 trial for ETX1153a will start in the fourth quarter, the company told investors.

Astellas returns MRSA drug to Theravance

Astellas returns superbug-fighting drug to Theravance - San Francisco Business Times.

Astellas Pharma Inc. ended its partnership Friday with South San Francisco’s Theravance Inc. around the antibiotic Vibativ. The decision ends an up-and-down partnership between the companies, including production problems at a contractor manufacturer in Ohio in November that halted manufacturing and caused a shortage of the drug. Rights to Vibativ, a once-daily injectable drug that was approved in the United States in September 2009 to treat serious skin infections caused by the MRSA “superbug,” will return to Theravance.

LCB01-0371 showing promise against MRSA

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Dream Pharma Corp., a Korean drug maker, will develop new treatment for superbugs to cater to soaring demand for drugs against the fatal bacteria. The Hanwha-affiliate said Wednesday it clinched a deal with LegoChem Biosciences Inc. for joint research and commercialization of the bioventure’s novel product. The drug candidate known as LCB01-0371 has been proven superior to Pfizer Inc. Zyvox in treating superbugs, which are resistant to nearly all existing antibiotics, Dream Pharma said. Clinical trials in the U.S. also showed that the product had almost no side effects like bone marrow suppression, and its high solvency could make it injectable, the company added.

Excelimmune Optimizes the Natural Power of the Immune System Against MRSA

Excelimmune Optimizes the Natural Power of the Immune System | OneMedPlace - Sentinel.

In May, the company announced that it finalized a $10.5 million Series B financing deal with a syndicate of high net worth individual investors. The money will help accomplish some very specific goals. It will allow Excelimmune to further develop the clinical application of Staphguard, a human recombinant polyclonal antibody therapy for the treatment of MRSA. This disease, which is commonly acquired through contact within the community, is resistant to most first-line antimicrobials on the market.

Theravance MRSA drug a victim of Ben Venue shutdown

Theravance MRSA drug a victim of Ben Venue shutdown - FiercePharma Manufacturing.

Vibativ, an injectable skin-infection treatment from Theravance ($THRX) that's marketed by Astellas, has fallen victim to the QA-related production shutdown at contractor Ben Venue's plant in Bedford, OH. Theravance spokesperson Cheryllyn De Ocampo confirmed by email the speculation in Friday's San Francisco Business Times.

Studies of the Efficacy of a New Fluoroquinolone, JNJ-Q2 Against Staph Infection

Studies of the Efficacy of a New Fluoroquinolone, JNJ-Q2, in Skin, Respiratory, and Systemic Murine Models of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection.

In both MRSA skin infection models, treatment with JNJ-Q2 resulted in dose-dependent reductions in bacterial titers in the skin, with the response to JNJ-Q2 at each dose exceeding that of the comparators ciprofloxacin, moxifloxacin, linezolid or vancomycin. Additionally, in the ESI model, JNJ-Q2 showed a low or non-detectable propensity for ciprofloxacin-resistance selection, in contrast to the selection of ciprofloxacin-resistant mutants observed for both ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin. JNJ-Q2 demonstrated comparable or improved activity compared to fluoroquinolone or anti-staphylococcal comparators in several local and systemic skin infection models with both S. aureus and S. pneumoniae and is currently being evaluated in Phase II human clinical trials.

Arlington Medical Resources to Release Analysis of the Complicated Skin and Skin Structure Infections Market in Europe

Arlington Medical Resources to Release Analysis of the Complicated Skin and Skin Structure Infections Market in Europe - MarketWatch.

The report, Hospital Insight Series: Complicated Skin and Skin Structure Infections (Europe), uses clinical audit data and primary research with infectious disease specialists to understand the dynamics of product usage and physicians' treatment patterns. The report also provides segmentation of cSSSI patient population, identifies rates of treatment failure and discontinuation by drug and provides insight into why physicians have changed their treatment approach to cSSSIs in recent years.

Teflaro and Tedizolid Will Capture Nearly One-Third of the MRSA Drug Market?

CORRECTING and REPLACING In 2020, Forest/AstraZeneca/Dainippon Sumitomo's Teflaro and Trius Therapeutics' Tedizolid Will Capture Nearly One-Third of the MRSA Drug Market - MarketWatch.

The Overall Hospital-Treated MRSA Infections Drug Market Will Increase from $656 Million in 2010 to $730 Million in 2020, According to Findings from Decision Resources Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, forecasts that, in 2020, Forest/AstraZeneca/Dainippon Sumitomo's Teflaro and Trius Therapeutics' tedizolid will capture nearly one-third of the market for hospital-treated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in key indications (nosocomial pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and complicated skin and skin structure/surgical site infections).

TaiGen Biotechnology Obtains the Worldwide Rights for Nemonoxacin - PR Newswire - sacbee.com

TaiGen Biotechnology Obtains the Worldwide Rights for Nemonoxacin - PR Newswire - sacbee.com.

TaiGen originally licensed nemonoxacin product rights in ten Asian countries and worldwide development rights through Phase II from Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Warner Chilcott in October 2009. In August 2010, Warner Chilcott regained all rights outside the TaiGen territories after TaiGen obtained positive data, including effective eradication of MRSA and quinolone-resistant MRSA in two Phase II trials for community acquired pneumonia ("CAP") and diabetic foot infection under a US IND.

Pfizer Abandons Antibiotics R&D in China!

Antibiotics - The Perfect Storm: Pfizer Abandons Antibiotics R&D in China!.

Pfizer’s exit from antibiotics R&D back in February of this year. In that report, I noted that they claimed they were moving their antibiotic discovery effort to China I also expressed doubts that they would ever be able to do that. I have a source that tells me that they have now announced (at least internally) that they are cancelling their plans (such as they were) to establish antibiotic discovery in China. They still claim that they will continue to pursue what antibiotics they have in development. I seriously doubt they will be successful there either

MRSA Drug Pioneers ContraFect Hires David Huang

ContraFect Hires David Huang, M.D., Ph.D. as Chief Medical Officer - MarketWatch.

ContraFect Corporation, the company that is pioneering the use of recombinant proteins for the treatment of drug-resistant bacteria, announced today that David Huang, M.D., Ph.D. has joined as its Chief Medical Officer. As CMO, Dr. Huang will be responsible for the company's clinical strategy and the development of its lead compound, CF-301, for infections caused by Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. CF-301 is a first-in-class drug that is expected to have a major role in the treatment of infections caused by MRSA (drug-resistant Staphylococcus).

Is Cefazolin Inferior to Nafcillin for MSSA

Is Cefazolin Inferior to Nafcillin for Treatment of Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia?.

Cefazolin treatment was interrupted less frequently than nafcillin treatment due to drug adverse events (0% versus 17%; P = 0.02). Cefazolin had clinical efficacy similar to that of nafcillin and was more tolerable than nafcillin for the treatment of MSSA bacteremia.