Antibiotic Nafithromycin key achievement by Indian scientists to fight AMR: Experts

NEW DELHI: The development of an indigenous antibiotic Nafithromycin is an important achievement by Indian scientists, and may be crucial in the country’s fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), said experts on Saturday.

Developed by Indian pharma company Wockhardt, with support from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Nafithromycin targets Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia (CABP).

The drug marketed as "Miqnaf" is effective against CABP caused by drug-resistant bacteria, which disproportionately affects vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.

“Development of the indigenous antibiotic Nafithromycin is a very important achievement by Indian scientists. Potency and newness of the Nafithromycin shall help doctors to treat multi-drug resistant bacteria, particularly causing respiratory infections,” Dr. Harshal R Salve, Additional Professor, Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS, New Delhi, told IANS.

“As respiratory infections are one of the most important hospital-acquired infections this new antibiotic shall provide great help to the infection management of hospitalised patients,” he added.

Nafithromycin is designed to treat both typical and atypical drug-resistant bacteria -- making it a crucial tool in addressing the global health crisis of AMR (Anti-microbial Resistance). It boasts superior safety, minimal side effects, and no significant drug interactions.

It belongs to a class of antibiotics, called Macrolides, that treat bacterial infections by preventing bacteria from producing proteins. Its development marks a pivotal moment in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, showcasing India’s growing capabilities in pharmaceutical innovation.

The drug is also 10 times more effective than current treatments like azithromycin and offers a three-day treatment regimen, significantly shortening the recovery time while improving patient outcomes.

“Macrolides are ‘tailor-made’ antibiotics for the management of pneumococcal infections in outpatient and hospital settings. Its features include oral bioavailability; exponential lung (site-of-infection) penetration; and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) features permitting less frequent dosing. Macrolides are the most abused class of antibiotics which was expensively used in covid era too,” Dr. Dhiren Gupta, head dept of Pediatric pulmonology from Sir Ganga Ram hospital, told IANS.

The expert noted that both in India and globally, invasive and non-invasive pneumococcal infections are accountable for a substantial healthcare burden.

“Development of this new antibiotic is definitely going to help India but it’s going to be temporary if antibiotics are misused. Bacteria will likely develop resistance against Nafithromycin as well,” Gupta said.

With the threat of AMR being one of the biggest public health challenges, the experts called out the need to curtail the use of antibiotics by limiting their availability in the open market and also off-prescription availability.

“Rational use of antibiotics, stoppage of over the counter supply of antibiotics capacity building of both patients, communities and health care provides for in stopping irrational use of antibiotics though the systematic approach is essential to address the issue of AMR at the community level," Salve said.