Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis, causative pathogens for anthrax and plague, respectively, along with Burkholderia mallei and B. pseudomallei are potential bioterrorism threats. Tebipenem pivoxil hydrobromide (TBP HBr, formerly SPR994), is an orally available prodrug of tebipenem, a carbapenem with activity versus multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative pathogens, including quinolone-resistant and extended-spectrum-β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales. We evaluated the in vitro activity and in vivo efficacy of tebipenem against biothreat pathogens. Tebipenem was active in vitro against 30-strain diversity sets of B. anthracis, Y. pestis, B. mallei, and B. pseudomallei with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 0.001 – 0.008 μg/ml for B. anthracis, ≤0.0005 – 0.03 μg/ml for Y. pestis, 0.25 – 1 μg/ml for B. mallei, and 1 – 4 μg/ml for B. pseudomallei. In a B. anthracis murine model, all control animals died within 52 h post challenge. The survival rates in the groups treated with tebipenem were 75% and 73% when dosed at 12 h and 24 h post challenge, respectively. The survival rates in the positive control groups treated with ciprofloxacin were 75% and when dosed 12 h and 25% when dosed 24 h post challenge, respectively. Survival rates were significantly (p=0.0009) greater in tebipenem groups treated at 12 h and 24 h post challenge and in the ciprofloxacin group 12 h post-challenge vs. the vehicle-control group. For Y. pestis, survival rates for all animals in the tebipenem and ciprofloxacin groups were significantly (p<0.0001) greater than the vehicle-control group. These results support further development of tebipenem for treating biothreat pathogens.
Antimicrobial-resistance (AMR) has become an increasingly difficult issue to overcome for bacteria associated with both community- and hospital-acquired infections as well as potential biodefense threats. The need to identify new therapeutics of novel classes and/or with unique mechanisms is critical to combatting AMR in the coming years. GT-1 (LCB10-0200), a siderophore-linked cephalosporin, is one such novel option and is formulated to be used either alone or in combination with a novel broad-spectrum β-lactamase inhibitor, GT-055 (LCB18-055). This study assessed the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of GT-1 and GT-055 against a broad array of multi-drug resistant and biothreat pathogens. Here, we demonstrated sub-4 µg ml−1 efficacy against a number of pathogens in vitro. We further determined that in mice infected via aerosol route with Yersinia pestis, efficacy of GT-1/GT-055 treatment is at least equivalent to the comparator antibiotic, ciprofloxacin.
Background Sulopenem is a thiopenem β-lactam antibiotic being developed for the treatment of infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria. Sulopenem possesses potent activity against species of the Enterobacterales that encode ESBLs or AmpC-type β-lactamases that confer resistance to third generation cephalosporins. It has also demonstrated good in vitro microbiological activity against a range of bacterial pathogens including penicillin resistant S. pneumoniae, β-lactamase-producing H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis. Sulopenem is available as intravenous and oral pro-drug formulations, and its activity aligns with the most urgent drug-resistant antimicrobial threats defined by the CDC. Methods Bacterial inoculums were prepared by suspending colonies into cation adjusted Mueller Hinton broth (CAMHB) from 18-24 h (B. anthracis, B. pseudomallei and B. mallei plates incubated at 35ºC); or 36-48 h (F. tularensis and Y. pestis plates incubated at 35ºC and 28ºC, respectively). Sheep blood agar plates were used for B. anthracis and Y. pestis. Chocolate agar plates were used for F. tularensis, B. pseudomallei and B. mallei. Suspended cultures were diluted with CAMHB to achieve a turbidity equivalent to a 0.5 McFarland standard. MICs were determined by the microdilution method in 96-well microplates according to CLSI guidelines (Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, 2020). Antibiotic ranges used for sulopenem were 0.03 - 64 μg/mL and 0.004 - 8 μg/mL for the diversity strains of B. anthracis, F. tularensis, Y. pesis, B. mallei, and B. pseudomallei, based on a final well volume of 100 μl after inoculation. Results A summary of sulopenem MIC90 results versus bio-threat bacterial pathogens in presented in the table. Criteria for down selection into mice was met for all pathogens except F. tularensis. Sulopenem MIC90 Summary for Down Selection Criteria Conclusion Sulopenem is active in vitro against a number of bio-threat pathogens at concentrations likely to be achieved after oral dosing in humans and meets criteria to be tested in the murine model of B. anthracis, Y. pestis, B. mallei, and B. pseudomallei. Disclosures Michael Dunne, MD, Iterum Therapeutics (Board Member, Consultant, Shareholder) Steven I. Aronin, MD, Iterum Therapeutics (Employee, Shareholder)
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.