New Antibiotic Zosurabalpin Shows Promise Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria

The novel antibiotic, currently in Phase I trials, effectively kills Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacteria resistant to most current antibiotics and a significant cause of hospital infections.

• Scientists have discovered a new antibiotic, zosurabalpin, that effectively kills Acinetobacter baumannii, a drug-resistant bacteria that is a significant cause of infection in hospitals.
• Zosurabalpin operates in a unique way, preventing a substance called lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from being transported to the outer membrane of the bacterium, resulting in the bacterium's death.
• The new antibiotic has been successful in reducing levels of bacteria in mice with Acinetobacter baumannii-induced pneumonia and preventing the death of those with Acinetobacter baumannii-related sepsis.
• Zosurabalpin is currently in Phase I trials in humans, where researchers are looking at the drug’s safety, tolerability and the amount of the chemical that remains in patients’ bodies over time.
• Despite the promising results, scientists stress that resistance to zosurabalpin may emerge in the future, as has happened with all previously created antibiotics.

10 Articles

The Telegraph South China Morning Post The Messenger CNN Los Angeles Times New Scientist The Guardian Nature Nature Nature