Serious bacterial infections (SBIs) are major threats recognized globally by organizations like the World Health Organization and other health agencies, with predictions indicating SBI-related deaths could reach 10 million annually by 2050 if the situation is not addressed.1 To address this growing threat, AstraZeneca is pursuing novel treatment and prevention strategies to potentially transform the care of SBIs and deliver new solutions.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health agencies, serious bacterial infections are linked to an estimated 7.7 million deaths a year globally.1 More than half of these deaths are caused by only five types of bacteria – Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.1,2
With approximately 1 in 8 global deaths caused by serious bacterial infections, the fight against these pathogens is becoming more complex. The rising prevalence of antibiotic resistance and lack of new therapeutic options further complicates treatment and management. This not only strains public health systems globally, but significantly impacts patients, leading to prolonged illnesses, higher medical costs and increased morbidity and mortality.
An urgent need for new approaches
Antibiotics are the current standard of care for the treatment and prevention of SBIs. While still largely effective, the widespread and occasional improper utilisation has accelerated the emergence of drug-resistant bacteria and enhanced antimicrobial resistance.3 Coupled with a decline in the number of new antibiotics over the last decade4, there is an urgent need for new approaches to address this global challenge.
Innovation is critical, especially for vulnerable patients with chronic conditions or weakened immune systems who lack effective therapeutic options. SBIs may complicate or disrupt the treatment of underlying diseases, prolonging hospital stays, increasing healthcare costs, and deteriorating overall outcomes. With limited treatment options available, SBI-related global deaths may reach 10 million annually and healthcare costs may increase an additional $1 trillion by 2050.
Immunocompromised or medically vulnerable patients are particularly at risk, with SBIs often creating a vicious cycle of recurrent infections, weakened defences and increased antibiotic use. As bacterial resistance outpaces antibiotic discovery efforts, the simplest infections threaten to become untreatable, which can leave the general population more susceptible to even the most common infections. SBIs can not only prolong illness and delay recovery but also have a domino effect, exacerbating underlying diseases like chronic respiratory disease, cancer, and renal disease.3,5-8
Medical advances across various fields are enhancing patient care and boosting survival rates. Nonetheless, they also inadvertently bring new challenges in managing SBIs. Innovations like organ transplants, catheterisation techniques, and novel immunotherapies elevate patient outcomes but also heighten vulnerability to SBIs.9
Rethinking treatment and prevention
As rates of SBIs continue to rise, there is a clear unmet need for new strategies to effectively prevent and treat SBIs. Building upon our expertise in mAbs and vaccines, as well as decades of work addressing bacterial pathogens, AstraZeneca is aiming to transform care for SBIs and expand the arsenal available to healthcare providers and their patients.
Monoclonal antibodies and vaccines differ significantly from antibiotics in their mechanisms of action and could potentially offer unique advantages in treating and preventing SBIs. While antibiotics indiscriminately target both beneficial and pathogenic bacteria, disrupting the microbiome, mAbs and vaccines work to enhance the body's immune response to prevent or clear infections without directly killing bacteria.3,10
mAbs are tailor made to both prevent and treat bacterial infections. They offer pathogen-specific therapies that specifically target virulence factors such as surface proteins and secreted toxins that are involved in pathogenesis.11 They can disrupt biofilm formation and neutralize virulence factors, aiding in bacterial clearance and reduced colonization.11 Once bound, mAbs can neutralize toxins, inhibit critical bacterial functions and flag pathogens for immune destruction, reducing infection severity and spread.11 Additionally, mAbs are designed to target specific bacterial structures or toxins that play critical roles in infection or tissue damage, minimizing harm to beneficial microbiota and reducing toxicity and adverse effects.10,11
AstraZeneca is also developing vaccines that may have the potential to generate potent and long-lasting immune responses. Vaccines work to protect patients and reduce infection rates, mitigating the need for antibiotics and potentially reducing preventable illness and deaths.10
Importantly, since mAbs and vaccines function through different mechanisms than those involved in antibiotic resistance, they are expected to remain potentially effective against antibiotic-resistant strains.10,11
With a focus on areas of greatest need, we are exploring innovative options to combat high-priority pathogens including C. diff, P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. These pathogens remain a significant public health challenge, affecting hundreds of thousands of lives each year and significantly impacting quality of life – physically, emotionally, and financially. We are committed to answering the call to develop and deliver new therapies that can better protect patients from these potentially deadly infections.
“We are looking to address critical gaps in the prevention and treatment of SBIs by developing antibodies and vaccines targeting bacterial pathogens, expanding the arsenal available to healthcare providers and their patients,” continued Georges El Azzi.
For example, with C. diff, AstraZeneca is taking a different, microbiome-sparing approach and focusing on prevention early in the disease pathway, with the goal to reduce recurrent infections and subsequent courses of gut-damaging antibiotics.
“Pathogens like C. diff and others remain a significant public health challenge, affecting hundreds of thousands of lives each year and significantly impacting quality of life - physically, emotionally, and financially,” said Christian Lillis, Co-founder & CEO, Peggy Lillis Foundation. “There is an urgent need to develop and deliver new therapies that can better protect patients from these potentially deadly infections.”
With targeted preventative and treatment approaches with mAbs and vaccines, there is potential to protect patients by reducing infection rates, preserving antibiotics, safeguarding the microbiome and improving overall health outcomes and quality of life, particularly for those patients who are immunocompromised or medically vulnerable. By working to expand preventive and therapeutic options, we as a global health community can redefine care for serious bacterial infections.
The promise of future innovation
SBI’s extensive toll on patient health, healthcare complexity, and financial burden for patients and healthcare systems highlights the urgent need for a paradigm shift and unchecked SBIs could severely impact global health. New endeavors hold promise for better protecting vulnerable patients and enhancing resilience in global healthcare.
“At AstraZeneca, we envision a future where patients are better protected from SBIs by novel preventive and treatment options like mAbs and vaccines,” said Tonya Villafana. “With innovative new options available, care can focus on their underlying condition, mortality and morbidity are reduced, global healthcare systems are more resilient and advances in medical care are safeguarded.”
