This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
New trial examines investigational therapy for drug-resistant infections
A recently launched clinical trial will examine the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of SPR741 — a molecule with activity against Gram-negative infections when combined with Gram-positive antibiotics — as a novel therapy for patients infected with multidrug-resistant pathogens, according to a press release.
The SPR741 molecule is Spero Therapeutics’ lead Potentiator candidate. The company developed a Potentiator Platform that identifies novel entities such as SPR741 that disrupt lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria that prevent entry for Gram-positive antimicrobial agents.
According to the release, preclinical studies of SPR741 in combination with Gram-positive antibiotics reduced the burden of infections caused by common drug-resistant pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter baumannii and Klebsiella pneumoniae.
The phase 1 trial will be conducted in two parts. During a single ascending dose phase of the trial, researchers will randomly assign 64 healthy volunteers to receive either a single dose of SPR741 or placebo. In a multiple ascending dose phase, 32 health volunteers will receive multiple doses of the molecule or placebo for 14 days. Researchers will expose sequential cohorts to increasing doses of SPR741. Spero expects to receive results in 2017.
“With the increasing number of infections resistant to multiple drugs, the need for new approaches to fight these infections has never been greater,” Ankit Mahadevia, MD, CEO of Spero, said in the release. “We have completed a robust preclinical program evaluating SPR741 in combination with new and existing antibiotics against some of the most deadly multidrug-resistant infections and are excited to be moving into the clinical phase of testing. Our hope is that with the Potentiator Platform, as well as our pipeline of other novel therapies advancing into clinic next year, we can begin to address the global crisis of antibiotic resistance.”
Disclosure: Mahadevia is an employee of Spero.