Researchers from Merck & Co. reported the development of MK-7762, a novel oxazolidine with antitubercular activity designed to overcome the off-target effects of linezolid.
Macrophage and neutrophil apoptotic cell death have been demonstrated to confer resistance to severe tuberculosis (TB) infection in preclinical mouse models of the disease, according to an Australian study reported in the July 12, 2021, edition of Immunology.
Shanghai-based Micurx Pharmaceuticals Inc. is preparing to file an NDA for its lead antibacterial candidate, contezolid, with China's National Medical Products Administration after results of a pivotal phase III trial there showed the drug providing comparable clinical cure rates to linezolid for complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI). Reduced hematologic toxicity for the tablet-based antibiotic vs. linezolid was also seen, highlighting one of contezolid's key advantages.
