US EditionFirst antibiotic in 50 years to tackle superbug in final testing
- Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche is advancing zosurabalpin, a new antibiotic, into late-stage human trials in late 2025 or early 2026 targeting drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections.
- This move follows decades of stalled antibiotic development due to rising antimicrobial resistance and the urgent need to combat pathogens like Acinetobacter, categorized by WHO and CDC as a high-priority threat.
- Zosurabalpin works by inhibiting the bacterial outer membrane's lipopolysaccharide transport, disrupting the survival of Gram-negative superbugs responsible for fatal infections in hospitalized, often immunocompromised patients.
- The phase 3 trial will enroll about 400 patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, with Roche's infectious diseases head calling it “a new way to attack a bacterium” and a foundation for future antibiotic innovation.
- If successful, zosurabalpin could be the first new antibiotic class in 50 years to combat this deadly superbug, offering hope to reduce antimicrobial deaths and stimulate further drug development in a challenging market.
14 Articles
14 Articles
A novel antibiotic class targeting the lipopolysaccharide transporter
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) has emerged as a major global pathogen with limited treatment options1. No new antibiotic chemical class with activity against A. baumannii has reached patients in over 50 years1. Here we report the identification and optimization of tethered macrocyclic peptide (MCP) antibiotics with potent antibacterial activity against CRAB. The mechanism of action of this molecule class involves blocking th…
Roche moves antibiotic against superbug into Phase 3 of testing
Swiss drugmaker Roche said on Monday it would advance testing of an antibiotic against a common drug-resistant bacteria that causes serious hospital infections into the third and last phase of testing on humans.
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