New Antibiotics Flood the Market to Fight Stubborn UTIs

There is no doubt that the UTI is absorbed. They burn, they itch, they come back just when you think you are clear. But for those dealing with this constant threat, there is finally a new form of protection.

A new class of antibiotics is now available for some of the most pesky infections. This month, the Food and Drug Administration approved Iterum Therapeutics’ Orlynvah for certain types of urinary tract infections that won’t respond to other drugs.

UTIs are one of the most common infections that people encounter, especially women. About 60% of US women are estimated to have at least one uncomplicated UTI (a UTI with no signs of structural damage or other health conditions) in their lifetime. Although UTIs were once easily treated with any simple antibiotic regimen, many infections these days are resistant to at least one or more of the drugs used against them. This added complexity not only makes it difficult to treat UTIs before they cause serious problems, but also increases the risk of recurring UTIs. So scientists are eager to find new antibiotics that can treat these resistant diseases.

Orlynvah is the first drug of its kind. It contains a combination of sulopenem etzadroxil, which belongs to a group of antibacterials called penems, and probenecid, a renal tubular transport inhibitor that has been used in the past to increase the duration of antibiotics in our body. Penems are synthetic antibiotics that have shown great promise in treating a wide variety of resistant bacteria, but Orlynvah is the first oral pen to be approved in the US.

The drug is approved to treat some uncomplicated UTIs caused by Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, or Proteus mirabilis bacteria. Importantly, Orlynvah is intended for people who have few or no other antibiotics for their UTI, such as infections that have not responded to previous treatment or infections that show resistance. other drugs by testing. The FDA approved Orlynvah on the basis of two Phase III trials, which found that it exceeded or matched the effectiveness of other conventional antibiotics for uncomplicated UTI, including resistant infections.

“The FDA’s approval of sulopenem is great news for those of us who have been hoping for a new treatment option for patients at risk for UTIs,” said Marjorie Golden, an infectious disease specialist at the St. Raphael of New Yale. Haven Hospital who was involved in clinical research of the drug, in a statement from Iterum. “Based on the overall clinical data presented, sulopenem has the potential to be an important alternative treatment that can be used in the community.”

Although Orlynvah will be valuable to doctors and patients, this drug is not a cure for UTIs in general. The drug failed clinical trials testing its effectiveness against complicated UTIs or complicated gastrointestinal infections. And as with many new antibacterial drugs, its use will be carefully controlled to slow the emergence of strains of bacteria that become resistant to it.

However, Orlynvah should be able to prevent most UTI-related complications. Although these diseases are not always visible, they can cause pelvic pain, frequent urination and / or burning, and even blood in the urine. Left untreated, UTIs can also raise the risk of serious kidney infections, weak urethras in men, and even sepsis (life-threatening inflammation that can cause widespread organ damage).