Breakthrough Discovery: New Antibiotic 100x Stronger Than Superbugs

A New, Potent Antibiotic Offers Hope for Patients

Years of hope for millions, researchers’ hard work, and funding for experiments have finally paid off. Scientists, including those from the University of Warwick in the UK, have achieved a breakthrough that may revolutionize modern medicine.

The chemists invented an antibiotic that is 100 times more potent than existing drugs and highly effective against superbugs like MRSA. Crucially, it currently shows no signs of resistance. Consequently, it offers hope for effective treatment against infections where other medications are ineffective.

Furthermore, that is not all.

The Discovery of the New Antibiotic Was a Stroke of Luck

They discovered this antibiotic in a bacterial species previously overlooked by scientists. It was a complete accident. Experts found it while synthesizing another known antibiotic—Methyleneomycin A.

“Methyleneomycin A was originally discovered 50 years ago, and while it has been synthesized many times, nobody, it seems, has tested its synthetic intermediates for antimicrobial activity. By deleting the biosynthetic genes, we uncovered two previously unknown biosynthetic intermediates, both of which are significantly more potent antibiotics than Methyleneomycin A itself,” said Professor Greg Challis, co-author of the study, in a statement for the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.

A Medical Breakthrough: A Drug the Body Won’t Develop Resistance To

Significantly, the scientists’ discovery is far superior to another drug—Vancomycin, which is sometimes called the “drug of last resort.” This gives hope to 1.1 million patients worldwide who were not helped by previously used medications.

What’s Next for the New Antibiotic?

As reported in the scientific journal Journal of Organic Chemistry, the drug must undergo clinical trials (Phase I–III), which typically take 3–7 years. If it confirms its efficacy and safety, it could become the first antibiotic with an entirely new mechanism of action in decades.

WHO Alarms: We Lack New Drugs

The World Health Organization recently warned that scientists are currently developing too few new antibiotics. Moreover, most easily discoverable drugs have already been invented. The fact that developing new drugs is very expensive and, unfortunately, not very profitable exacerbates the situation. For this reason, few pharmaceutical companies invest in this area of medicine.

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Read this article in Polish: Nowy antybiotyk odkryto przypadkiem. 100 razy silniejszy niż superbakterie