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Bayer HealthCare together with Nektar Therapeutics today presented positive preliminary phase II data on their unique drug-device combination Amikacin Inhale at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) annual meeting.
Amikacin Inhale, currently being studied for the adjunctive treatment of Gram-negative pneumonia in intubated and mechanically-ventilated patients, achieved over 1000 times greater lung exposure to the antibiotic amikacin as compared to intravenous route of administration.
This shows that targeting antibiotic therapy to the site of infection might offer superior bacterial eradication and increased efficacy, which may result in a higher likelihood of the patient’s survival.
Currently, Gram-negative pneumonia carries a mortality risk as high as 50% in mechanically-ventilated patients.
“Mechanically-ventilated patients in critical care units are at particularly high risk of developing pneumonia,” said Professor Michael Niederman, Chairman, Department of Medicine, Winthrop University Hospital, New York, and one of the lead investigators of the study. “Most of them are already seriously ill because of severe underlying diseases.”
“Because of the high morbidity and mortality of Gram-negative pneumonia, fast and efficient treatment is essential. Intravenous therapies cannot always reach effective concentrations in infected lungs at tolerable doses. The new study data shows that the device successfully delivers the antibiotic directly to the site of infection, without reaching high systemic concentrations.”
