News|Articles|October 18, 2025

Top Infectious Disease News Stories Week of October 11-October 17

This week, learn about the Center for Discovery and Innovation's research around vaccines and the next generation of rifamycins, as well as results from a Cefiderocol study looking at healthcare-associated Gram-negative bloodstream infections and more.

Developing the Next Generation of Rifamycins for Non-TB Mycobacteria in a Postantibiotic Era

Some scientists, clinicians, and other interested stakeholders are saying we are living in a postantibiotic era, which essentially means we are not developing these treatments quickly enough to address the growing resistance to the current antibiotic armamentarium.

For example, nontuberculosis mycobacteria (NTM) are resistant to most antibiotics, which is why NTM infections are difficult to treat and require long-term, multidrug courses.

Veronique Dartois, PhD, and Thomas Dick, PhD, discuss the multidrug resistance associated with non-TB mycobacteria and their research, which focuses on developing a novel version of this class of antibiotics for these infections.

Phase 3 Trial Confirms Superior Efficacy of Oral Pritelivir for Refractory HSV in Immunocompromised Patients

AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG today announced that its registrational Phase 3 trial (PRIOH-1, NCT03073967) of pritelivir, a first-in-class helicase-primase inhibitor for herpes simplex virus (HSV), met its primary endpoint of superiority (p=0.0047) in lesion healing for patients treated up to 28 days. Efficacy further improved in patients treated for up to 42 days (p<0.0001).

The study evaluated pritelivir’s efficacy and safety compared to standard of care (SoC)—including investigator-selected foscarnet, cidofovir, compounded topical cidofovir, or imiquimod—in immunocompromised patients with refractory HSV infections, with or without resistance (R±R) to existing antivirals.

Vaccines as a Secondary Strategy in the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance

Barry Kreiswirth, PhD, director of the Kreiswirth Lab at CDI, points out they were developing vaccines for Klebsiella years ago but that the creation of antimicrobials was a more attractive approach at that time.

“People were developing vaccines against Klebsiella back in the 50s in a parallel manner, like we did against strep pneumonia. They stopped because the antibiotic era was so powerful. They said, 'Oh, we're not going to need a vaccine. Antibiotics are going to work,' and it was just being very nearsighted,” Kreiswirth said.

He sees vaccines as a much-needed secondary strategy and one that could help greatly with resistance.

Cefiderocol is Noninferior, But not "Game-Changer," for Gram-negative Bloodstream Infections

Cefiderocol was non-inferior, but not superior to standard of care empiric treatment of hospital-acquired and healthcare-associated Gram-negative bloodstream infection, in an open-label, multi-national trial1

The "GAME CHANGER" trial was conducted to ascertain whether cefiderocol, a novel siderophore cephalosporin antibiotic currently approved for complicated urinary tract infection and noscomial pneumonia, might serve as an alternative to broader spectrum agents commonly used as empiric treatment for noscomial bloodstream infections.

As NDM-CRE Infections Rise Significantly, Diagnostic Access Emerges as Weak Link

US infections caused by New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase–producing carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (NDM-CRE) increased by more than 460% from 2019 to 2023, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analysis published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.1-2 The agency warns that limited access to carbapenemase testing is hindering detection, delaying targeted therapy, and likely undercounting the true burden.

To explore the diagnostics angle, and how faster, broader testing can strengthen stewardship, John Osiecki, PhD, vice president, medical affairs in North America at bioMérieux, spoke to Contagion on this significant need.

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