ICAAC: Experimental derivative of spectinomycin could help fill gap for new TB treatment

An agent referred to as spectinamide 1599, which is a genetically-altered form of a former gonorrhea therapy, is effective against drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis, including those containing the Rv1258c efflux pump, which expels therapeutic agent from drug resistant tB cells, reports The Pharma Letter’s correspondent at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) conference in Denver.

The experimental agent showed effectiveness not only against ribosomal extracts from laboratory strains of tuberculosis, but against whole cell clinical isolates, according to David Bruhn, a post-doctoral research associate at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, which has patented spectinamide 1599.

“But some of our data in the ribosome shows that the agent has an additive effect, but not synergy with existing therapies,” said Dr Bruhn, who presented a poster at ICAAC entitled “Identification and Evaluation of Synergy between Anti-Tuberculosis Spectinamides and FDA Approved Antibiotics.”