TXA-709 –  New Kid on the Block

When searching for FtsZ inhibitors on PubMed, there are 187 hits. When narrowing down the search looking for clinical trials only, there are none. Taxis Pharmaceuticals obtained QIDP status for its candidate drug TXA-709 in late 2016 and it is still in preclinical testing. The drug’s target, bacterial replication machinery Continue reading TXA-709 –  New Kid on the Block

Antibiotic Inhalers Galore (Part 1):  More Combinations and Permutations than a Rubik’s Cube

There is much interest in inhaled antibiotics these days.  Prima facie, the logic for this approach is compelling: Getting the antibiotic (and a lot of it) directly to the site of infection, while avoiding systemic toxicity, sounds like optimized efficacy plus optimized safety combined.  However, some high-profile failures were published Continue reading Antibiotic Inhalers Galore (Part 1):  More Combinations and Permutations than a Rubik’s Cube

Timely New Information on Next-Generation Tetracyclines – Part 2: Eravacycline and Protein Binding

A recent paper by Thabit describes a curious finding [1]. The authors measured total and free (i.e., nonprotein-bound) eravacycline levels at ascending doses in a mouse model. They found strikingly small increases in free drug levels when titrating up total doses. The effect was rather dramatic: an increase in protein binding from 12% Continue reading Timely New Information on Next-Generation Tetracyclines – Part 2: Eravacycline and Protein Binding