Top Infectious Disease News Stories Week of October 18-October 24

Meet SIDP’s President Elect: Lisa Dumkow, PharmD, FIDP, BCIDP

With the IDWeek conference this week, the public had a chance to be officially introduced to the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) President-Elect Lisa Dumkow, PharmD, FIDP, BCIDP. Dumkow sat to speak with Contagion about her goals for her tenure as well as professional societies' roles in public health advocacy and AI.

Introducing Cefiderocol Earlier in Difficult-to-Treat-Infections

n data being presented at IDWeek, analysis of the US cohort of the PROVE study assessed clinical cure rates in mostly seriously ill patients treated with cefiderocol. The overall clinical cure rate for infections across different infection sites was 70.1%.¹ Additionally, the clinical cure rate was 73.7% among patients who received cefiderocol before the causative bacteria had been identified (empiric treatment).Cornelius Clancy, MD, discusses further insights from the real-world clinical analysis of the US cohort of the PROVE study.

High Continued Adherence of Lenacapavir in Individuals Who Use Substances and Alcohol

Adherence for twice-yearly lenacapavir (Yeztugo) was over 90%—and in some cases higher— in individuals who engaged in recreational drug and alcohol use. This subset preliminary finding was part of Gilead’s PURPOSE 2 study. This adherence went across multiple doses. Jesse Clark, MD, MSc, discusses the findings looking at this form of PrEP in this patient population.

Nearly 1 in 5 Urinary Tract Infections in Southern California Linked to Contaminated Meat

A study published in mBio has uncovered a surprising connection between food safety and urinary tract infections (UTIs), suggesting that nearly 1 in 5 UTIs in Southern California are caused by E coli strains originating from contaminated meat. The findings highlight a significant but underrecognized public health issue—one that disproportionately impacts people living in low-income communities.

Developing a COVID-19 Vaccine Alternative

Just prior to IDWeek, Invivyd announced that the FDA has cleared the company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for VYD2311, which is a monoclonal antibody investigational candidate designed as a vaccine alternative for the prevention of COVID-19. The FDA also provided feedback supporting advancement of Invivyd’s REVOLUTION clinical program.¹ Invivyd’s Chief Scientific Officer Robert Allen, PhD, provides insights on the company's investigational monoclonal antibody, VYD2311, as well as its REVOLUTION clinical program.