Antimicrob Agents Chemother

. 2022 Aug 18;e0231821.

doi: 10.1128/aac.02318-21. Online ahead of print.

Repurposing the Ionophore, PBT2, for Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Infections

Freda E-C Jen ¹, Jennifer L Edwards ², Ibrahim M El-Deeb ¹, Mark J Walker ³, Mark von Itzstein ¹, Michael P Jennings ¹

Affiliations expand

• PMID: 35980187

DOI: 10.1128/aac.02318-21

Abstract

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) N. gonorrhoeae is a current public health threat. New therapies are urgently needed. PBT2 is an ionophore that disrupts metal homeostasis. PBT2 administered with zinc is shown to reverse resistance to antibiotics in several bacterial pathogens. Here we show that both N. meningitidis and MDR N. gonorrhoeae are sensitive to killing by PBT2 alone. PBT2 is, thus, a candidate therapeutic for MDR N. gonorrhoeae infections.

This is not a free paper but no probable business deal negotiation is preventing the publication of new indications for PBT2. So PBT2 does not need any other antibiotics to kill gonorrhea. So PBT2 needs to be for sale without a combination. At least for that purpose safety of PBT2 has been studied in previous studies. Maybe this is the quickest way to the market.