Helperby Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company involved in developing the next generation of antibiotics, has revealed phase one results on the tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and efficacy of AZT and colistin, both alone and as a combined therapy, against multi-drug resistant Enterobacteriaceae, one of the most serious drug resistant pathogens, it was reported on Friday.

The company also presented preclinical data that indicates that AZT is active against carbapenem and colistin resistant Enterobacteriaceae. AZT is a DNA chain terminator and represents a new class of antibacterial agent against the most resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Further data were presented showing the combination to be active in animal models.

This research paves the way for further clinical trials and the potential for the development of a new class of antibiotics, effective against some of the most resistant pathogens. This combination is likely to reach the market in just three to five years. The significance of these data is that the WHO Critical Priority Gram-negative Carbapenem Resistant bacterial pathogens will contribute to the 10 million deaths that are predicted globally worldwide by 2050 from treatment-resistant infectionsi.

The combination provides antibiotic enhancement with a low dose of colistin, which is safe and tolerable in humans as demonstrated by the phase 1 results, and so avoids the risk of renal toxicity associated with colistin in higher doses.