September 11, 2017
A weekly roundup of news on drug resistance and other topics in global health.
Sanofi’s Zika vaccine development halted amid funding cuts: Pharma giant Sanofi has suspended the development of its much-publicized vaccine candidate against Zika following reduced funding by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the US government. Sanofi had launched the trials last year on the safety and effectiveness of an inactivated virus vaccine, developed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). The funding cut is being seen in the context of a decline in reported Zika cases in the country over the past few months, taking it off the priority list. Other vaccine candidates are currently undergoing trials. [Sanofi press release, CNN]
Funds for developing new antibiotics: 56 million euros have been pledged for the development of new antibiotics under the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP). The initiative received 51 million euros from Germany, with smaller contributions from other countries and funders. The funds will support four areas for new drug development, including neonatal sepsis and sexually-transmitted infections (STDs) among other priorities. [GARDP press release]
Funding cuts threaten AMR programmes in the US: Proposed budget cuts by the US government in public health and research threaten the progress of antibiotic stewardship efforts in the country. In a letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, experts worry that the reduced funding will significantly weaken surveillance, infection control and other efforts to control the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threat. [Annals of Internal Medicine, CIDRAP]
A case to reduce colistin use? A study in the Clinical Infectious Diseases reports that a combination drug containing third-generation antibiotic, ceftazidime-avibactam, may be a reasonable alternative to the last resort drug colistin in treating carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections. In a study of 137 patients with complicated urinary tract and intra-abdominal infections (with 38 treated with ceftazidime-avibactam; 99 with colistin) at 18 US hospitals, researchers found a 23 percent lower all-cause hospital mortality at 30 days and a 64 percent likelihood of a better outcome in the ceftazidime-avibactam group as compared with the colistin group. [Clinical Infectious Diseases]
Study finds racial and ethnic differences in antibiotic prescription practices in emergency set ups: Researchers have found that white children are more likely to receive antibiotics for viral respiratory infections than black or Hispanic children. The study in the journal Pediatrics found that non-Hispanic black children, Hispanic children, and other non-Hispanic children received antibiotics in 1.9 percent to 2.9 percent cases, while 4.3 percent of non-Hispanic white children received antibiotics. [Pediatrics]
Antimicrobial impregnated scrubs ineffective in reducing contamination in ICUs: A study reported in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology finds no benefit in using surgical scrubs impregnated with antimicrobials in reducing the contamination with pathogens. Antimicrobial scrubs are widely used in surgical settings. The researchers found no significant difference in contamination levels between those who used traditional, non-medicated scrubs and antimicrobial-treated scrubs and suggest that alternative precautions such as diligent hand hygiene may be more effective in infection control. [Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology]
Cholera cases in Yemen reach an all-time high: Yemen’s cholera outbreak has crossed 600,000 cases and claimed more than 2,000 lives since April this year. The man-made epidemic, driven by the civil war, had rapidly spread within just six months and new cases are still being reported. While some of the most affected areas such as Sanaa City and the governorates of Hajjah and Amran had recorded a fall in the number of new cases, 12 other districts have reported a sudden and significant spike in suspected cases. [Reuters]
New evidence on antimicrobial resistance in south east Asia: In a series of articles published in The BMJ this week, researchers highlight the growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threat in the Southeast Asian countries. [BMJ]
Image via U.S. Army
