Evaluating Cefiderocol for Difficult-to-Treat, Gram-Negative Infections

The research Shionogi is presenting at IDWeek 2022 centers on cefiderocol, said Simon Portsmouth, MD. Portsmouth is the Head of Clinical Development in the biopharmaceutical company’s US office, and sat down with Contagion to discuss this first siderophores for difficult-to-treat, Gram-negative infections.

Portsmouth says that cefiderocol was developed directly in response to needs identified by the World Health Organization (WHO). Specifically, they highlighted the dangers posed by Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

“Cefiderocol has activity against those, even if they have resistance mechanisms to other antibiotics as well,” Portsmouth said.

The studies Shionogi is presenting at IDWeek suggest cefiderocol has potential to treat high-risk patients with carbapenem-resistant pathogens. “The outcomes show very good clinical responses,” said Portsmouth, even among vulnerable patients with “severe comorbidities.”

“The majority were on intensive care and often mechanically ventilated, so very difficult to treat, but despite that cefiderocol had utility.”

Antimicrobial resistance was one of the hottest topics at IDWeek 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated antimicrobial resistance, as providers prescribed unnecessary antibiotics in a desperate effort to treat virus patients.

Now, finding new agents to combat difficult-to-treat pathogens and mitigate the over-prescription of unnecessary antibiotics is more important than ever. Because antibiotic resistance is a global threat, especially in underprivileged areas, it is not an exaggeration to say antimicrobial stewardship could save the world.

“We’ll continue really, as we have done in the past, looking for unmet medical needs in this area, and then continuing development as that arises,” Portsmouth concluded.

Simon Portsmouth, MD, comments on data Shionogi is presenting at IDWeek 2022, held October 19-23, 2022, in Washington, D.C.