The marketplace for new antibiotics is fundamentally broken

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One of the mysteries of COVID-19 is why it kills some patients while sparing others with similar health profiles.

The answer to this will not prove singular, of course. But research published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet found that 50% of hospitalized patients who died of COVID-19 also had secondary bacterial infections. Some patients contracted these fatal infections from the very intensive care unit (ICU) ventilators that were intended to save them.

Read the full opinion editorial – written by President and CEO of Venatorx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. – on The Inquirer here.

Drug study will use synthetic cannabidiol to fight antimicrobial resistance

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Addressing antimicrobial resistance is a pressing priority for the largest health agencies in the world, so Botanix is optimistic in its efforts to proactively navigate these challenges.

Recruitment has today commenced in Perth for a Phase 2a study of Botanix’s antimicrobial platform product BTX 1801 to evaluate its safety, tolerability and efficacy for the prevention of surgical site infections.

The Phase 2a clinical study has been designed to evaluate two formulations of BTX 1801 to decolonise Staphylococcus aureus (Staph) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA or ‘Golden Staph’) from the nose of healthy adults. Nasal carriage of Staph and/or MRSA greatly increases the risks of serious and sometimes life-threatening infections following surgery, as patients essentially infect themselves. 

Botanix is working with a team of specialist clinical investigators, led by Murdoch University’s Chair of Public Health and Chair of the Australia Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, Professor Geoffrey Coombs. 

Read the Murdoch University news article here.

Could Drug-Resistant Bacteria Cause The Next Pandemic?

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As humanity tallies the growing cost of Covid-19 in lives and capital, it must address the Grey Rhino threats posed by pathogenic bacteria. These are probable and impactful, but we neglect them despite their obviousness. Aided by modern humans’ mobility and by climate change, bacterial pathogens endanger everyone’s health. They are legion, varied, and constantly mutating. How can we best combat them?

Click HERE to read the article on Forbes.