Spexis announces the publication of promising results for a novel class of macrocyclic, peptidomimetic antibiotics in Science Advances demonstrating potent in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activity against MDR and XDR Enterobacteriaceae, including carba

Novel antibiotics were developed by Spexis in close collaboration with Professor Oliver Zerbe’s group at the University of Zurich with substantial funding by Innosuisse and CARB-X

ALLSCHWIL, Switzerland, June 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spexis AG (SIX: SPEX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases and oncology, today announced the publication of preclinical results from the company’s novel class of macrocyclic, peptidomimetic antibiotics developed in collaboration with the University of Zurich, demonstrating potent in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activity against multidrug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant (XDR) Enterobacteriaceae. The manuscript, titled “Peptidomimetic Antibiotics Disrupt the Lipopolysaccharide Transport Bridge of Drug-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae,” is available online in the international peer-reviewed journal Science Advances at: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg3683.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a significant threat for both patients and healthcare systems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), bacterial AMR is associated with the deaths of approximately 5 million people worldwide each year. In the United States, more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year, leading to over 35,000 deaths and an estimated USD 4.6 billion in healthcare costs. On a global scale, the WHO estimates the overall economic burden from the emergence of AMR, including impact on international trade and healthcare expenses, could cost the world economy USD 100 trillion by 2050.

MDR, XDR, and carbapenem-resistant and colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, specifically Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, have been identified by the WHO as priority one Gram-negative pathogens in the fight against AMR. Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains exhibiting hypervirulence and resistance have been associated with overall mortality up to 84% according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The ECDC also projects that resistant Enterobacteriaceae have a high potential to cause outbreaks in healthcare and community settings with global dissemination a major concern. As antibiotic use increases, selective pressures on microbes increase, frequently leading to the development of resistance. Recent discovery of plasmid-mediated transferable colistin resistance genes have shown the ease with which resistance can spread in bacterial populations. These transferable genes are often transmitted with other resistance genes, leading to strains of multi-drug resistant bacteria. Data from a multinational prospective cohort study published in The Lancet showed that carbapenem resistance was associated with an increased length of hospital stays and increased probability of in-hospital mortality. Even countries with judicious antibiotic use have seen the prevalence of resistance doubling in the past 5 years according to a study in the British Medical Journal.