Experts Say Humans Are Living in an ‘Age of Pandemics’—and COVID Won’t Be the Last

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Experts have warned that the COVID-19 pandemic might just be one in a series of increasingly frequent viral outbreaks, as the human species enters what they describe as “a pandemic era”.

Anthony Fauci, leading US immunologist and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and David Morens, a medical epidemiologist at NIAID, predict that widespread outbreaks of diseases and epidemics will only accelerate over the coming years as populations grow, societies expand and deforestation increases.

Read the full article on Vice here.

Botanix’s BTX 1801 proven to kill superbugs

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Cannabinoid skincare company Botanix (BOT) has proven its BTX 1801 compound’s ability to treat and prevent surgical site infections (SSIs).

‘The company has released encouraging results from a study testing the formulation’s ability to eliminate methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus — known as MRSA or Golden Staph — from infected human skin explants.

Read the full article on The Market Herald here.

New antimicrobial data and conference presentation

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Botanix Pharmaceuticals (ASX:BOT) has today shared a market update and new data pertaining to the BTX 1801 antimicrobial program, which is currently being studied as part of a Phase 2a clinical trial in Perth.  

The new data demonstrates BTX 1801 eliminates methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (‘MRSA’ or ‘Golden Staph’) from human skin explants infected with MRSA. It also confirms synthetic CBD’s novel mechanism of action, where treatment with CBD rapidly disrupts the bacteria’s membrane resulting in cell death.

The latest news was captured as part of a presentation shared by Botanix President and Executive Chairman, Vince Ippolito, for the ASX Small and Mid-Cap Conference today – which features a close-up look at the mechanism of action.

View the ASX Small & Mid-Cap Conference presentation:

The Botanix team is extremely encouraged by this new data and remains confident that BTX 1801 will be a valuable treatment option for the prevention of post-surgical infections, which are often serious and can be life-threatening. Addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains a foremost priority for the Company, alongside the  largest health agencies in the world.

NEW DATA | Time lapse videos – S.aureus treated with synthetic cannabidiol

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Botanix Pharmaceuticals released promising new clinical data for its BTX 1801 antimicrobial platform and a supporting presentation today.

The results demonstrate how synthetic cannabidiol kills resistant bacteria quickly and effectively – specifically Staphylococcus aureus (‘S.aureus’  or‘MRSA’ or ‘Golden Staph’), which greatly increases the risks of serious and life-threatening infections following surgery when it is carried in the nasal passage.

The following time-lapse videos clearly show how synthetic cannabidiol kills bacteria by rapidly disrupting the bacterial cytoplasmic membranes in as little as 10 minutes. In both videos, the bacteria are initially surrounded by a green fluorescent dye and exclusion of the dye means the bacteria are alive and well, while uptake of the dye means that the bacteria’s cell membrane has been disrupted and they are dying.

Time lapse video – S.aureus treated with methanol

This time lapse video shows S.aureus treated with 2.5% methanol (negative control) and grown at room temperature on an agarose pad containing 0.25µM SYTOX-Green. Bacteria are happy and rapidly multiplying over the 120 minutes, with no uptake of the dye.

Time lapse video – S.aureus treated with synthetic cannabidiol

This time lapse video shows S.aureus treated with with synthetic cannabidiol and grown at room temperature on an agarose pad containing 0.25µM SYTOX-Green. In contrast to the first video, bacteria immediately start to die, as evidenced by the rapid uptake of dye and disintegration of bacteria.

To learn more about our ongoing clinical research in the area of antimicrobial resistance, please subscribe to receive our latest news HERE.

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.

WHO warns overuse of antibiotics for Covid-19 will cause more deaths

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The increased use of antibiotics to combat the Covid-19 pandemic will strengthen bacterial resistance and ultimately lead to more deaths during the crisis and beyond, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that a “worrying number” of bacterial infections were becoming increasingly resistant to the medicines traditionally used to treat them.

Click HERE to read the article on The Guardian.

Path To Profitability

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According to the industry analysts covering BOT, breakeven is near. They anticipate the company to incur a final loss in 2021, before generating positive profits of AU$33m in 2022. Therefore, BOT is expected to breakeven roughly 2 years from today. In order to meet this breakeven date, I calculated the rate at which BOT must grow year-on-year. It turns out an average annual growth rate of 96% is expected, which signals high confidence from analysts. Should the business grow at a slower rate, it will become profitable at a later date than expected.

Click HERE to read the article on Simply Wall Street.

Is Cannabis Space Offering a Lucrative Investment Opportunity Amid Coronavirus Outbreak?

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The legal cannabis market in Australia is set to boom, and cannabis is turning out to be the one thing that wouldn’t be hampered by seasonality. The country has one of the largest medicinal cannabis markets that is regulated by the federal government. The cannabis industry is one of the most disputed sectors throughout the world, and over the past few months, significant development has been observed in the industry.

Click HERE to read the article on Kalkine Media.