Hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP) is a respiratory infection that can develop after 48 hours of hospitalization in patients who were not exhibiting signs of the infection prior to admission. It occurs due to the colonization of bacteria in the respiratory tract, often through inhalation or aspiration. On the other hand, ventilator-associated pneumonia (VABP) specifically refers to pneumonia that occurs in patients who are on mechanical ventilation where the presence of a breathing tube increases the risk of bacteria entering the lungs. VAP is a subsection of HAP, and occurs more than 48-72 hours after tracheal intubation, and affects 10%-20% patients receiving mechanical ventilations for more than 48 hours.
Both HAP and VAP pose significant risks to patients in healthcare settings and require prompt diagnosis and treatment to minimize complications and improve outcomes. XACDURO is the first pathogen-targeted therapy to treat HABP and VABP caused by Acinetobacter. Acinetobacter usually affects critically ill patients and can result in pneumonia and bloodstream infections. Those most likely to acquire Acinetobacter are on breathing machines, those with catheters, with intense surgical wounds, etc. This infection is resistant to penicillin and over the years has evolved to be resistant against almost all antibiotics used to treat Gram-negative bacteria.
XACDURO was approved by the FDA on 23rd of May of 2023, based on the results from the landmark trial “ATTACK”. ATTACK evaluated the primary endpoints of safety and efficacy of XACDURO in patients with HABP or VABP caused by Acinetobacter. Overall, XACDURO established significantly better results in clinical cure rates with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter than those treated with the other treatment options.
The main adverse reactions reported by patients using XACDURO was liver test abnormalities, diarrhea, anemia, and hypokalemia. These adverse reactions are serious, however the risk of using the drug is considered to outweigh the benefit of knocking out a bacterial infection. XACDURO has set the stage for how pathogen-targeted therapy works by releasing the first drug in class.
References
Shebl E, Gulick PG. Nosocomial Pneumonia. [Updated 2022 Jul 18]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK535441/
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230523005961/en/Innoviva-Specialty-Therapeutics-Announces-FDA-Approval-for-XACDURO®-sulbactam-for-injection-durlobactam-for-injection-Co-packaged-for-Intravenous-Use
https://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/acinetobacter.html#:~:text=usually%20multidrug%2Dresistant.-,How%20common%20are%20these%20infections%3F,%3A%202019%20AR%20Threats%20Report%5D.
