Lack of new antiinfective agents: Passing into the pre-antibiotic age?

Figure 4 Compound Aspidasept^® (Amino acid sequence GCKKYRRFRWKFKGKFWFWG; EU, United States, and Japan patent filed) is able to inhibit very efficiently the cytokine production induced by the pathogenicity factors endotoxin/lipoproteins or by the bacteria in vitro, in vivo (various mouse models), and ex vivo (human lung, see Figure 3). These inhibition properties of Aspidasept^® comprise various relevant bacterial strains from Gram-negative and Gram-positive origin, as well as Mycobacteria, in particular M. tuberculosis. Aspidasept^® has low toxicity (the NOAEL, no observed adverse effect level’ is 200 to 500 times higher than the planned therapeutical doses). Beside its inflammation-inhibiting activity, it is able to bind the multi-resistant bacteria thus limiting their spreading. LPS: Lipopolysaccharide.