Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/09/stewardship-resistance-scan-sep-30-2020
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 30, 2020
Antimicrobial stewardship apps; BARDA antibacterial development funds
Filed Under:
Antimicrobial Stewardship
Review shows stewardship apps increase guideline accessibility
A review of a studies analyzing use of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) apps found they may increase adherence to antibiotic prescribing guidelines, European researchers reported yesterday in PLOS One.
The review, led by researchers from Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, included 13 studies published from 2008 to 2019 focusing on the use of AMS smartphone or tablet app use by physicians treating in-hospital patients. The aim of the study was to review the apps and evaluate their impact on antibiotic prescribing for in-hospital patients. The primary study outcomes included average monthly use, guidelines assessed, adherence to guidelines, and user experience.
In general, the studies measured different outcomes, applied different designs, and varied in quality. None of them were randomized controlled trials. In four studies, guideline-adherent antibiotic prescribing increased significantly (6.5% to 74%) after app implementation, and in one study, this resulted in significantly less resistance to some antibiotics and a decrease in total drug costs.
Most users considered the apps easy to use (77.4% to >90.0%) and useful (71.0% to >90.0%) in three studies, and preferred guideline access via app to desktop or booklet in two studies. In three studies, some physicians reported that use of apps in front of patients or colleagues felt unprofessional.
The authors of the review say that while the studies indicate that apps may increase guideline accessibility, because of the small number of studies and the limited quality of the data, they can't draw any conclusions on the advantages of AMS app use in hospital settings.
"High quality, randomized, multi-centre studies including robust clearly defined clinical, microbiological and process outcomes are needed to evaluate the impact of AMS apps on antimicrobial prescribing and its role within healthcare," they wrote.
Sep 29 PLOS One study
BARDA to fund two new antibacterial drug candidates
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) today announced advanced funding for two new drug candidates that target bacterial infections.
The two drug candidates are VE303, a live biotherapeutic product developed by Vedanta Biosciences that focuses on restoring the normal balance of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract to prevent recurrence of Clostridioides difficile, a bacterial infection associated with antibiotic use. The other is Locus Biosciences' LBP-EC01, which uses CRISPR-Cas3 technology and bacteriophages to treat urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli, including those that are antibiotic resistant.
BARDA, part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, will provide an initial $7.36 million and up to $76.9 million over 9.5 years to Vedanta to support development of VE303 and an initial $11 million and up to $77 million to Locust for LBP-EC01. The funding will support phase 2 and phase 3 trials of the drugs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified C difficile and antibiotic-resistant E coli as serious and urgent health threats.
"Healthcare providers need tools at-the-ready to prevent or combat secondary bacterial infections, particularly those that impact a patient's successful recovery following antibiotic usage in a public health emergency," BARDA Acting Director Gary Disbrow, PhD, said in a press release. "Infections associated with long-term antibiotic use are a growing concern and are often costly to treat which makes developing novel drugs and technologies for prevention and treatment all the more urgent for U.S. health security."
Sep 30 HHS press release
Stewardship / Resistance Scan for Sep 30, 2020
Antimicrobial stewardship apps; BARDA antibacterial development funds
Filed Under:
Antimicrobial Stewardship
Review shows stewardship apps increase guideline accessibility
A review of a studies analyzing use of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) apps found they may increase adherence to antibiotic prescribing guidelines, European researchers reported yesterday in PLOS One.
The review, led by researchers from Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, included 13 studies published from 2008 to 2019 focusing on the use of AMS smartphone or tablet app use by physicians treating in-hospital patients. The aim of the study was to review the apps and evaluate their impact on antibiotic prescribing for in-hospital patients. The primary study outcomes included average monthly use, guidelines assessed, adherence to guidelines, and user experience.
In general, the studies measured different outcomes, applied different designs, and varied in quality. None of them were randomized controlled trials. In four studies, guideline-adherent antibiotic prescribing increased significantly (6.5% to 74%) after app implementation, and in one study, this resulted in significantly less resistance to some antibiotics and a decrease in total drug costs.
Most users considered the apps easy to use (77.4% to >90.0%) and useful (71.0% to >90.0%) in three studies, and preferred guideline access via app to desktop or booklet in two studies. In three studies, some physicians reported that use of apps in front of patients or colleagues felt unprofessional.
The authors of the review say that while the studies indicate that apps may increase guideline accessibility, because of the small number of studies and the limited quality of the data, they can't draw any conclusions on the advantages of AMS app use in hospital settings.
"High quality, randomized, multi-centre studies including robust clearly defined clinical, microbiological and process outcomes are needed to evaluate the impact of AMS apps on antimicrobial prescribing and its role within healthcare," they wrote.
Sep 29 PLOS One study
BARDA to fund two new antibacterial drug candidates
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) today announced advanced funding for two new drug candidates that target bacterial infections.
The two drug candidates are VE303, a live biotherapeutic product developed by Vedanta Biosciences that focuses on restoring the normal balance of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract to prevent recurrence of Clostridioides difficile, a bacterial infection associated with antibiotic use. The other is Locus Biosciences' LBP-EC01, which uses CRISPR-Cas3 technology and bacteriophages to treat urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli, including those that are antibiotic resistant.
BARDA, part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, will provide an initial $7.36 million and up to $76.9 million over 9.5 years to Vedanta to support development of VE303 and an initial $11 million and up to $77 million to Locust for LBP-EC01. The funding will support phase 2 and phase 3 trials of the drugs.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified C difficile and antibiotic-resistant E coli as serious and urgent health threats.
"Healthcare providers need tools at-the-ready to prevent or combat secondary bacterial infections, particularly those that impact a patient's successful recovery following antibiotic usage in a public health emergency," BARDA Acting Director Gary Disbrow, PhD, said in a press release. "Infections associated with long-term antibiotic use are a growing concern and are often costly to treat which makes developing novel drugs and technologies for prevention and treatment all the more urgent for U.S. health security."
Sep 30 HHS press release