Researchers tested this therapeutic approach on 42 patients with antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that had spread from the blood into tissues, describing the infection as “one of the most dangerous and difficult-to-treat bacterial infections.”
Two-thirds of the patients received intravenous treatment involving a mixture of viruses known as “bacteriophages,” developed by Armata Pharmaceuticals, while the other third received a placebo. All patients participating in the trial also received the best available antibiotic treatments.
Patients who received the mixture of viruses known as “bacteriophages” in addition to antibiotics showed higher clinical improvement compared to those who received antibiotics alone at multiple points during the treatment period.
For example, the response rate on day 12 was 88% in the group that received viral therapy versus 58% in the placebo group.
New Treatments
Researchers explained at a meeting of infectious disease physicians in Atlanta, USA, that patients treated with “bacteriophages” recorded better outcomes, including lower relapse rates, faster negative blood culture results, along with faster symptom improvement and reduced length of stay in intensive care units and hospitals.
Study leader Dr. Loren Miller of the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center said in a statement: “These results provide a strong rationale for moving to Phase 3 of the study and suggest the potential for a radical shift in how antibiotic-resistant infections are treated.”
He added: “Highly purified bacteriophage-based therapies could become a new standard of care for patients facing this life-threatening condition.”
(Reuters)
