Researchers have identified a new class of antibiotics that works by blocking the transportation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to the outer membrane of the gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii. The most advanced member of the class, zosurabalpin (RG-6006, Roche AG), was effective against multiple A. baumannii strains, including carbapenem-resistant and multidrug-resistant strains.
It is not the first malaria vaccine, but R21, recommended for use by the World Health Organization in October, is the first that can be manufactured at modest cost and the sort of scale needed for widespread prevention of the killer disease in Africa.
A safe and effective vaccine for preventing respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common and sometimes serious respiratory infection, had eluded biopharma for decades. But in 2023, the world saw the first – and second – vaccine hit the market.
Researchers have used explainable artificial intelligence (explainable AI) to find structurally new antibiotics with minimal toxicity. They reported their findings online in Nature on Dec. 20, 2023. In animal testing, compounds identified via the method showed that they had activity against drug-resistant gram-positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of the most serious bacterial public health threats.
Astrazeneca plc, which seemed to have backed away from vaccine development after the COVID-19 pandemic, clearly took a shine to Icosavax Inc.’s virus-like particle technology and signed a deal to take over the firm for as much as $1.1 billion.
Redhill Biopharma Ltd.’s stock (NASDAQ:RDHL) has soared in recent days following news that the U.S. FDA granted five years of market exclusivity for Talicia, a first-line therapy for eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection, which affects about 35% of the U.S. adult population.
Newco T-Therapeutics Ltd. has raised £48 million (US$59 million) in a series A to advance development of T-cell receptors generated by its transgenic mouse platform for the treatment of solid tumors, autoimmune diseases and infections.
After Cormedix Inc. navigated manufacturing issues that slowed the process, the U.S. FDA approved the antibacterial and antifungal solution Defencath to reduce catheter-related bloodstream infections adults with kidney failure.
The BioWorld Infectious Disease Index (BIDI) jumped 13.04% at the end of January and has been mostly on a downturn since, echoing trends that BioWorld analysis noted last year. BIDI ended October down 47.98%, lower than the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which were down 12.31% and 0.28%, respectively.
With Valneva SE’s accelerated approval from the U.S. FDA for chikungunya vaccine Ixchiq, attention turned to the February 2024 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which will vote on the product. A single-dose, live-attenuated vaccine, Ixchiq is designed to prevent disease caused by the virus in people 18 and older who are at increased risk of exposure to the bug.