Teixobactin: Giving “Superbugs” a Run for Their Money?

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The term “superbug” refers to any form of drug-resistant bacteria, the presence of which has become increasingly worrisome in the United States. In a recent article, TIME reported that “at least 2 million infections and 23,000 deaths” occur in the US due to superbugs. Yet the same article hails the potential of a new antibiotic: teixobactin.

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Teixobactin has the potential to one-up superbugs, which are currently expected to “kill as many as 10 million people by the year 2050” (TIME). The antibiotic was successfully tested on mice infected with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), beating out the infectious bacteria with – yes – a 100 percent success rate. Nature also published an extensive article about its performance, calling it “exceptionally active” amongst various bacteria. But have we really found the antibiotic to trump all?

“Teixobactin has the potential to one-up superbugs, which are currently expected to ‘kill as many as 10 million people by the year 2050′”

It is important to understand why the medical and scientific community is so thrilled with teixobactin. It’s “the first new class of antibiotic announced in decades,” says Forbes’ Pharma & Healthcare contributor Judy Stone, “[prior] antibiotic development has stagnated as pharmaceutical companies have instead turned their attention to the far more profitable ventures of drugs for chronic diseases, like diabetes or heart disease. Antibiotics had been relegated to the role of the unwanted stepchild.”

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The very means by which it was discovered by Northwestern University researchers is exciting: they created a new method that “grows bacteria in its native dirt rather than a lab dish” (TIME). There are still some bugs that it couldn’t tackle, but it was immensely successful in others – not to mention without any trace of toxicity, or hemolytic activity (the breakdown of red blood cells). Although the journey from lab to consumer is lengthy, teixobactin shows a promising step forward.

What do you think? Is teixobactin going to weed out the “bugs” once it’s on the market, or will it fall victim to overuse and thus encourage more resistance? We look forward to your comments below.