India needs new drugs, improve infection control practices to thwart AMR: Dr Prabhu Vinayagam

India needs new drugs, improve infection control practices to thwart AMR: Dr Prabhu Vinayagam

Posted on December 19, 2024 Updated on December 16, 2024

India needs new drugs, vaccines, and improve infection control practices to thwart antimicrobial resistance (AMR). From an India and global perspective, the recent advances in AMR treatment are bacteriophage therapy, nanotechnology, immunotherapies, among others.

According to Dr Prabhu Vinayagam, medical advisor, Orchid AMS, a division of Orchid Pharma, the latest developments are novel antimicrobial agents. These include Cefepime – enmetazobactam developed by Orchid Pharma and is approved by the US FDA. This beta lactamase inhibitor combats against resistant gram-negative bacteria causing cUTI; VAP and HAP along with bacteria.

Relebactam too is a new ß-lactamase inhibitor that increases effectiveness of existing antibiotics like imipenem and approved for use against resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Cefiderocol is another new antibiotic that can treat multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria by overcoming some of the mechanisms that make these bacteria resistant to other treatments. Also Lefamuli which is US FDA approved for use against community-acquired pneumonia. This pleuromutilin-class antibiotic is designed to target resistant pathogens, including those resistant to macrolides and fluoroquinolones, he added.

Bacteriophage therapy, which uses viruses that target bacteria, is gaining renewed interest as an alternative or adjunct to antibiotics. Phages are highly specific and can target drug-resistant bacterial strains. There are growing efforts in India and other countries to incorporate phage therapy into clinical treatments, he noted.

The use of antibiotic combinations is being explored to overcome resistance. By combining old antibiotics with newer agents like ß-lactamase inhibitors, or even non-antibiotic drugs, researchers aim to restore the efficacy of existing drugs against resistant bacteria, Dr Vinayagam told Pharmabiz.

Nanoparticles and nanomaterials are being researched for their ability to fight bacterial infections, including drug-resistant strains. Nanomaterials can either disrupt bacterial cell walls or act as delivery vehicles for antibiotics to enhance their effectiveness. New approaches to AMR are also focusing on boosting the immune system’s ability to fight infections. Monoclonal antibodies that target bacterial virulence factors or enhance immune recognition of bacterial cells are emerging as a novel strategy, he said.

Pharmaceutical companies focusing on AMR are developing new drugs to combat resistant bacteria. Orchid AMS may engage in research around existing classes of antibiotics, like cephalosporins, and look into new formulations or combinations with ß-lactamase inhibitors or other adjunct therapies that could overcome AMR, he stated.

There are companies which are seen to collaborate with global health organizations or enter public-private partnerships to accelerate the discovery and delivery of new antibiotics. Orchid AMS might be involved in such collaborations, particularly to develop treatments that can address emerging resistant pathogens, he said

Given the burden of AMR in India, Orchid AMS might emphasize not only developing medicines that work globally but also specifically tailor treatments including development of affordable generic antibiotics for resistant infections. We are likely to align their drug development strategies with global health guidelines such as those set by the World Health Organization for combating AMR. This would ensure that any new antibiotics or treatments they develop meet the standards for efficacy and safety, as well as being practical in the global fight against AMR, he said.

There are not many clinical trials happening to combat AMR. We entered into an agreement with GARDP an international organization to bring to marker any new research molecule being developed anywhere.in this context the next molecule that Orchid has signed up is to bring in cefideracol a novel antibiotic invented by a Japanese company, said Dr Vinayagam.

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