‘Protect others’ may be more effective message for COVID vaccine uptake
Public health messages that focus on protecting others are more effective at increasing vaccination rates than messages focused on protecting oneself, new research finds.
The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Antimicrobial Drug Advisory Committee (AMDAC) voted unanimously this week to support approval of the investigational antibiotic candidate sulbactam-durlobactam for the treatment of patients with hospital-related bacterial pneumonia caused by Acinetobacter.
The drug, developed by Entasis Therapeutics, combines a beta-lactam antibiotic (sulbactam) with a novel, broad-spectrum beta-lactamase inhibitor and specifically targets Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex, a multidrug-resistant pathogen that causes severe and life-threatening infections. The World Health Organization has labeled carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter a critical pathogen.
Phase 3 trial results released in 2021 showed that sulbactam-durlobactam was statistically non-inferior to colistin in patients with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by carbapenem-resistant A baumannii and exhibited a favorable safety profile.
The Committee’s unanimous recommendation … moves us closer to potentially addressing the urgent need for new treatment options.
AMDAC voted to recommend approval by a vote of 12-0, based on a favorable benefit-risk assessment. The recommendation is not binding, but the FDA generally follows recommendations from its advisory committees.
“The Committee’s unanimous recommendation in favor of sulbactam-durlobactam, the first pathogen-targeted therapy for Acinetobacter, moves us closer to potentially addressing the urgent need for new treatment options for patients with serious and life-threatening infections caused by this pathogen,” David Altarac, MD, chief medical officer of Entasis Therapeutics, said in a press release from Innoviva (Entasis is a wholly owned subsidiary of Innoviva). “We appreciate the Committee’s thoughtful deliberation and strong vote of confidence, and look forward to working with the FDA as it completes its review.”
The target action date for the FDA’s decision is May 29.
