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The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the antibiotic Avycaz to treat drug-resistant bacteria known as superbugs.
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Avycaz, owned by Actavis Plc and co-developed with AstraZeneca Plc , is a combination of a previously approved antibacterial drug called ceftazidime, and avibactam, which helps to extend bacterial resistance.
Concerns about superbugs have escalated, especially after the UCLA Health System said last week that seven patients were infected with a potentially deadly, drug-resistant strain of the Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, and that more than 100 people might have been exposed to it.
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The World Health Organisation warned in April of “a post-antibiotic era” in which common treatable infections would once again become killers. After decades of low investment in antibiotics, pharmaceutical companies are turning their attention back to these drugs because of the spread of superbugs.
Avycaz, to be made available in the second quarter of 2015, can be used in combination with generic antibiotic metronidazole to treat adults with complicated intra-abdominal infections. As a standalone medication, it is used to treat urinary tract infections.
Although a number of companies including Roche Holdings AG, Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals Inc, Achaogen Inc and Cempra Inc are developing drugs for a variety of superbugs, analyst Kevin Kedra said there was room for multiple players.
“As a doctor you would like to have many potential tools at your disposal,” Kedra said. “The drug has shown good activity against a variety of tough-to-treat infections and gives doctors another option, especially if their first choice runs into issues of resistance.“
