Britons suffering from painful and recurring bladder infections could soon be treated with a new form of antibiotic not used anywhere else in the world.
Experts saw geotidazine as a major advance in the fight against antibiotic resistance, as the bugs did not have a chance to become resistant to their attacks. They believe this means it can fight aggressive urinary tract infections (UTIs) that don’t respond to current antibiotics.
Up to 1.7 million Britons – most of them women – suffer from chronic UTIs, which are classed as three or more infections a year.
Symptoms include a burning pain when going to the toilet more often than usual and feeling like you have to go with an empty bladder. In older patients, the infection can cause a dementia-like condition called delirium. There is also a risk of sepsis, which accounts for around 50,000 deaths each year.
Up to 1.7 million Britons – most of them women – suffer from chronic UTIs, classified as three or more infections a year
Symptoms include a burning pain when going to the toilet more often than usual and feeling like you have to go with an empty bladder. In older patients, the infection can cause a dementia-like condition called delirium
Gepotidazine is also expected to be used to treat a number of other diseases, including the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea, one of the most resistant bacterial diseases in the world. GSK, the pharmaceutical company behind potidacin, plans to apply for US approval in the spring, and experts say it is likely to get the green light from the NHS within the next two years.
If approved, it would be the first new class of antibiotic to be developed in nearly four decades.
Professor Jennifer Rohn, UTI expert at University College London, says: “Infections are one of the most common reasons NHS doctors write prescriptions. It encourages the spread of these aggressive, hard-to-kill insects.”
Gepotidazine, which has been in development for more than a decade, is designed to break down microscopic pieces of the bacteria’s DNA. Researchers say this new technology means the treatment can remain effective for more than half a century.
“This is an important new drug because it targets parts of the bacteria that other drugs don’t,” says Professor Neil Osheroff, a biochemist at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee who helped GSK develop geotidazine.
“The antibiotics we use today to treat UTIs have been around for 50 years. We believe this one may last even longer.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
