Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/07/stewardship-resistance-scan-jul-07-2020
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Jul 07, 2020
CARB-X funds for vaccine; Boosting antibiotic development
Filed Under:
Antimicrobial Stewardship
CARB-X to fund development of vaccine for resistant infections
CARB-X announced today that it is awarding $892,000 to Spanish biotechnology company Vaxdyn to develop a vaccine to prevent infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.
The money will help Vaxdyn, of Seville, Spain, develop KapaVax, a multiple-antigen vaccine based on detoxified bacterial cells that could be used to prevent infections, including pneumonia, in multiple at-risk populations. KapaVax specifically targets infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Vaxdyn will receive an additional $6.36 million from CARB-X (the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) if certain project milestones are met.
"The threat of drug-resistance underscores the importance of vaccines as powerful weapons to prevent disease as well as the spread of deadly bacteria," CARB-X chief of research and development Erin Duffy, PhD, said in a press release. "The Vaxdyn project is in the early phases of development, but if successful and approved for use in patients, it could prevent drug-resistant pneumonia in patients with elevated risk, for example those with chronic lung disease or diabetes, or patients undergoing cancer treatment."
Since its launch in 2016, CARB-X has awarded more than $240 million to accelerate the development of 66 antibacterial products. This is the fourth vaccine in the CARB-X portfolio.
Jul 7 CARB-X press release
WHO, Pew Charitable Trusts call for efforts to boost antibiotic development
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pew Charitable Trusts today issued a call to action on antibiotic development.
Citing the dearth of new and novel antibiotic candidates, increased global drug resistance, and the financial challenges of developing new antibiotics, the groups urged policymakers, pharmaceutical companies, research funders, and other antibiotic innovation stakeholders to take action to "stabilize and revitalize" the broken antibiotic development pipeline and market. With many of the antibiotics we are currently using losing their efficacy, they said, novel antibiotics are urgently needed.
The letter follows separate reports released earlier this year by both groups that came to similar conclusions about the state of the antibiotic development pipeline. Both found that it is insufficient, with too many candidates that offer little benefit over current antibiotics and not enough innovative drugs that target the most critical drug-resistant pathogens. Both reports cited low sales volume and poor market conditions as significant hurdles that have led many major pharmaceutical companies to abandon antibiotic development and left many small companies struggling financially.
Their three specific requests include increased funding for early-stage research, more push and pull incentives to help successfully move antibiotics through clinical development, and different reimbursement models to help provide sufficient return on investment for new antibiotics. These efforts must be robust and sustained, they said.
"COVID-19 has so poignantly reminded us that we need to build more resilient health systems that include access to effective antibiotics to better tackle future outbreaks," the groups wrote. "Antibiotic resistance is a looming public health crisis also requiring improved preparedness, including a robust clinical antibacterial development pipeline."
Jul 7 WHO/Pew Charitable Trusts letter
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Jul 07, 2020
CARB-X funds for vaccine; Boosting antibiotic development
Filed Under:
Antimicrobial Stewardship
CARB-X to fund development of vaccine for resistant infections
CARB-X announced today that it is awarding $892,000 to Spanish biotechnology company Vaxdyn to develop a vaccine to prevent infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.
The money will help Vaxdyn, of Seville, Spain, develop KapaVax, a multiple-antigen vaccine based on detoxified bacterial cells that could be used to prevent infections, including pneumonia, in multiple at-risk populations. KapaVax specifically targets infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Vaxdyn will receive an additional $6.36 million from CARB-X (the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) if certain project milestones are met.
"The threat of drug-resistance underscores the importance of vaccines as powerful weapons to prevent disease as well as the spread of deadly bacteria," CARB-X chief of research and development Erin Duffy, PhD, said in a press release. "The Vaxdyn project is in the early phases of development, but if successful and approved for use in patients, it could prevent drug-resistant pneumonia in patients with elevated risk, for example those with chronic lung disease or diabetes, or patients undergoing cancer treatment."
Since its launch in 2016, CARB-X has awarded more than $240 million to accelerate the development of 66 antibacterial products. This is the fourth vaccine in the CARB-X portfolio.
Jul 7 CARB-X press release
WHO, Pew Charitable Trusts call for efforts to boost antibiotic development
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pew Charitable Trusts today issued a call to action on antibiotic development.
Citing the dearth of new and novel antibiotic candidates, increased global drug resistance, and the financial challenges of developing new antibiotics, the groups urged policymakers, pharmaceutical companies, research funders, and other antibiotic innovation stakeholders to take action to "stabilize and revitalize" the broken antibiotic development pipeline and market. With many of the antibiotics we are currently using losing their efficacy, they said, novel antibiotics are urgently needed.
The letter follows separate reports released earlier this year by both groups that came to similar conclusions about the state of the antibiotic development pipeline. Both found that it is insufficient, with too many candidates that offer little benefit over current antibiotics and not enough innovative drugs that target the most critical drug-resistant pathogens. Both reports cited low sales volume and poor market conditions as significant hurdles that have led many major pharmaceutical companies to abandon antibiotic development and left many small companies struggling financially.
Their three specific requests include increased funding for early-stage research, more push and pull incentives to help successfully move antibiotics through clinical development, and different reimbursement models to help provide sufficient return on investment for new antibiotics. These efforts must be robust and sustained, they said.
"COVID-19 has so poignantly reminded us that we need to build more resilient health systems that include access to effective antibiotics to better tackle future outbreaks," the groups wrote. "Antibiotic resistance is a looming public health crisis also requiring improved preparedness, including a robust clinical antibacterial development pipeline."
Jul 7 WHO/Pew Charitable Trusts letter