Antibiotic holds promise for helping vulnerable patients recover from infection.
27 January 2020
A new antibiotic, ridinilazole, has shown promising results for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs). Phase 2 clinical trials by UK drug discovery company Summit Therapeutics indicate that the antibiotic significantly outperforms the current treatment vancomycin.
Results from the trials, which are supported by the Wellcome Trust, showed that patients treated with ridinilazole were cleared of the infection and remained so for at least 30 days, outperforming vancomycin by about 50%.
The trials were so promising that the US Food and Drug Association (FDA) has granted the drug Fast Track Development and Qualified Infectious Disease Product status, which includes and extension of marketing exclusivity. Ridinilazole is currently in randomised Phase 3 clinical trials, which involves up to 1,360 patients in North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Results are expected by the middle of 2021.
C.difficile infections are of major concern especially among the elderly in hospitals and care and patients with cancer or pneumonia whose natural gut flora is diminished following treatment with broad spectrum antibiotics.
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