Antibiotics and non-traditional antimicrobial agents for Pseudomonas aeruginosa in clinical phases 1, 2, and 3 trials.

INTRODUCTION

Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections have disseminated globally and are associated with high mortality due to the considerable virulence of the pathogen and the limited therapeutic options. This has led to efforts to develop new treatment options for such infections.

AREAS COVERED: This review evaluated the most recent literature on the relevant traditional and non-traditional antibiotics currently being developed in Phases 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials. We conducted a PubMed literature search, as well as a backward citation search of relevant studies. Traditional agents in clinical development include β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors (funobactam, taniborbactam, QPX2014-xeruborbactam), aminoglycosides (apramycin), polymyxin derivatives (upleganan, MRX-8, and SPR741), fluoroquinolones (MP-376), and lipopolysaccharide transport inhibitors (murepavadin). Non-traditional antibiotics in clinical development include anti-virulence agents (fluorothiazinone), monoclonal antibodies (INFEX-702, TRL-1068, and CMTX-101), bacteriophages (AP-PA02, YPT-01, BX004-A, and WRAIR-PAM-CF1), and miscellaneous agents (AR-501, PLG-0206, SNSP-113, OligoG CF-5/20, and ALX-009).

EXPERT OPINION: A considerable number of antimicrobial agents, some with novel mechanisms of action, are in clinical phases of development for treating Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. The urgent need for more therapeutic options necessitates the rapid optimization of progress to introduce new agents into clinical practice.