Tuesday, March, 19, 2024 05:31:54

In a recent turn of events, the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership and pediatric infectious disease research network Penta have reportedly teamed up to battle drug-resistant infections in children.

Sources close to the development claim that the objective of the strategic collaboration is to expedite pediatric development of antibiotic treatments comprising of trials developed to conform to regulatory requirements and trials committed to public health interventions in order to inform treatment guidelines.

Data by GARDP states that over 3 million infant deaths in the world are caused by infectious diseases like sepsis and pneumonia. GARDP also mentioned that children are largely affected by antimicrobial resistance. A recent study in Europe further unveiled that infants below the age of one are highly prone to drug-resistant infections, majorly impacting health, economy and society.

Dr. Manica Balasegaram, GARDP’s Executive Director was quoted stating that although it’s a global priority to end childhood deaths, the development of child-appropriate antibiotics for treating drug-resistant infections is prevented by serious lack of evidence.

Balasegaram, further stated that as a response to the global public health needs, the collaboration between GARDP and Penta has outlined a joint mission to develop and deliver easily accessible antibiotic treatments to counter severe bacterial infections in children.

Lack of evidence points to the fact that child appropriate antibiotic treatment options are often limited, with pediatric trials of antibiotics only happening years post the treatment’s registration for use in adults, claimed sources.

The partnership undertakes plans to help bridge this gap by developing a global children’s antibiotic platform, which is based on Penta’s global network of clinical trial locations and pediatric experts with objectives that include the streamlining of pediatric development plans conforming regulatory mandates, expedite regulatory approvals of treatments by assuring children’s trials commence as soon as possible, and the integration of innovative designs to maximize the information that can be acquired from each trial, reported sources familiar with the development.