EU research discovers new antibiotics against antimicrobial resistance
EU has provided €300m in financial support for projects since 1999
This year’s World Health Day (7 April) focused on the growing threat of potentially deadly infections that are developing resistance to antimicrobial drugs, and especially to antibiotics.
The European Union has prioritised research in this field, supporting numerous research projects with approximately €300m since 1999. Priorities include developing novel medicines and therapies, defining the optimal use of existing antimicrobial drugs, developing diagnostic tools, monitoring the spread of resistance and basic research on pathogenic organisms.
In the European Union alone, it is estimated that drug resistant infections cause more than 25,000 deaths and €1.5bn in extra healthcare costs every year.
Two EU-funded international research projects have provided new hopes to help and treat people.
The NM4TB project, which gathers 18 research teams from 13 countries, has discovered a novel class of substances, called benzothiazinones (BTZ) that could be used in the treatment of tuberculosis and drug resistant tuberculosis. These substances act by preventing the bacteria that cause tuberculosis from constructing their cell wall.
According to the European Commission, this discovery is an important breakthrough in the battle against tuberculosis as the most advanced compound of this new class, BTZ043, is also effective against extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).
The €12.88m project, which started in 2006, ends on 30 June.
In the €11.35m ActinoGEN project, 18 research teams from nine European countries and the Republic of Korea joined forces to discover and develop new antibiotics by exploiting the genetic resources of a group of bacteria called actinomycetes. Previous studies on the genomes of actinomycetes suggested that these bacteria had the potential to produce many new antibiotics.
The researchers identified one novel lead antibiotic by exploring the bacterial species Streptomyces ambofaciens, and engineered additional antibiotics by combinatorial biosynthesis. The project has generated eight patents.
Under the theme, Combat Drug Resistance, WHO called for urgent and concerted action by governments, health professionals, industry and civil society and patients to slow down the spread of drug resistance, limit its impact and preserve medical advances for future generations.
The WHO recommended a number of steps that could be taken along this path, including:
- develop and implement a comprehensive, financed national plan
- strengthen surveillance and laboratory capacity
- ensure uninterrupted access to essential medicines of assured quality
- regulate and promote rational use of medicines
- enhance infection prevention and control
- foster innovation and research and development for new tools.
Last year, at least 440 000 new cases of multidrug resistant-tuberculosis were detected and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis has been reported in 69 countries to date.
‘WHO is issuing a policy package to get everyone, especially governments and their drug regulatory systems, on the right track, with the right measures, quickly,’ said WHO director-general Margaret Chan.
‘The trends are clear and ominous. No action today means no cure tomorrow. At a time of multiple calamities in the world, we cannot allow the loss of essential medicines – essential cures for many millions of people – to become the next global crisis.’
The WHO has published a brochure showcasing EU-funded research projects on AMR from 2007-2010.
On 18 November, to coincide with Antibiotic Awareness Day, the EC will present a new strategy addressing all sources of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and their potential impacts. It will address public health, food safety, consumer safety, environment, animal health and welfare as well as non-therapeutic use of antimicrobial substances.