A metallo-beta-lactamase Enzyme Inhibitor called MK-3402 can be administered intravenously to treat patients, according to recent study from Ghent, Belgium, to successfully tackle antibiotic resistance. The results will be presented at ASM Microbe 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology
The public’s health is seriously threatened by antimicrobial resistance. Because they manufacture the metallo-beta-lactamase enzyme, some bacteria are immune to therapy, rendering the beta-lactam class of antibiotics useless.
Our ability to cure common diseases is still under danger due to the creation and spread of bacteria that are resistant to drugs and have developed new resistance mechanisms. The increasing global expansion of multi- and pan-resistant bacteria, commonly referred to as “superbugs,” which cause diseases that cannot be treated with current antimicrobial medications like antibiotics, is particularly concerning.
There are no novel antimicrobials in the clinical pipeline. Only six of the 32 antibiotics that address the WHO list of priority infections that were listed by WHO as being in clinical development in 2019 were considered new. Access to high-quality antimicrobials also continues to be a big problem. All levels of development are being impacted by antibiotic shortages, particularly in health care systems.
Also read, World Kidney Cancer Day: How is hypertension linked to the disease?
Here comes the Enzyme Inhibitor:
The antibacterial medication will still be effective against bacteria that are otherwise resistant if MK-3402 is used in conjunction with it (and another type of blocking medication against other types of beta-lactamase enzymes made by bacteria). Enzyme Inhibitor MK-3402 is made to inhibit metallo-beta-lactamase enzymes.
Enzyme Inhibitor MK-3402 and a placebo were the subjects of two experiments, each of which used a different dosage and number of doses. Participants and study staff were unaware of who was getting the trial medicine and who was receiving a placebo. Blood test, electrocardiogram, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, breathing rate, and participant-reported adverse effects findings were all checked to ensure safety.
These studies’ measurements of MK-3402 blood levels indicate that three daily doses should be sufficient to prevent bacterial metallo-beta-lactamase. To assess MK-3402’s safety and effectiveness when combined with other antibacterial medicines, larger trials are needed.
The trials were carried out at Drug Research Unit Ghent, a clinical trial location in Belgium, and were financed, developed, and supported by Merck.
For more news, click here.
