“New compound as effective as FDA-approved drugs against life-threatening infections”

“Researchers have identified a new compound that in preliminary testing has shown itself to be as effective as antibiotics approved by the FDA to treat life-threatening infections while also appearing to be less susceptible to bacterial resistance. The compound has been potent against antibiotic-resistant pathogens such as MRSA, which is often found in hospitals and other health care settings, and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus, with vancomycin long considered a drug of last resort.

Purdue University researchers have identified a new compound that in preliminary testing has shown itself to be as effective as antibiotics approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat life-threatening infections while also appearing to be less susceptible to bacterial resistance.

The compound, called F6, has been potent against antibiotic-resistant pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which is often found in hospitals and other health care settings, and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA), with vancomycin long considered a drug of last resort. The compound was tested against clinical isolates.

“This is very exciting,” said Herman Sintim, drug discovery professor in Purdue’s Department of Chemistry. “We are not the first to report of a new molecular entity that killed these drug-resistant pathogens. But what is unique about the compound that we found is that when we tried to generate resistance in the lab, we couldn’t.”

The results of the study were published Friday in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry..

Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health crisis. The World Health Organization has deemed antibiotic resistance one of the three greatest threats to human health because bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant and too few treatments are being developed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that at least 2 million people a year in the United States become infected with bacteria resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die a year as a result. Studies have estimated that drug-resistant infections could be responsible for 10 million deaths a year worldwide by 2050.”