The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) is pleased to announce renewed funding from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) to support GARDP’s work in developing improved treatments for newborn babies with sepsis.
The funding will be used to include Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital and Tygerberg Hospital in part two of a global clinical trial aimed at evaluating much-needed antibiotic combinations for babies with sepsis.
The SAMRC is providing R6.4m funding for the project and to support staff who are overseeing critical aspects of the study in South Africa over the next two years.
“We greatly appreciate the support of the SAMRC in this vital work, which has the potential to provide significant insights for local clinical management and effective treatment of newborns with sepsis,” said Carol Ruffell, head of DNDi GARDP Southern Africa.
“GARDP’s unique partnership model puts public health at the centre of antibiotic drug development, ensuring that the right antibiotic treatments are developed and made available to people who need them.”
Experience acquired through the clinical trial will also help towards building a long-term sustainable framework to develop and implement trials focused on reducing the impact of major infection threats to newborn and child health.
“The SAMRC’s mission is to advance the health and quality of life and address inequity by conducting and funding relevant and responsive health research, capacity development, innovation and research translation,” said Professor Glenda Gray, president and CEO of the SAMRC.
“With this in mind, we are committed to supporting a better outcome for newborn babies with sepsis and to addressing antibiotic resistance, which is a major health threat both in South Africa and globally.”
Part two of the global NeoSep1 trial will investigate new and existing drug regimens by comparing multiple different treatment regimens to generate evidence in hospitals with varying rates of antimicrobial resistance.
The trial in South Africa and Kenya will be expanded to other countries in 2025.
Sepsis, the life-threatening bloodstream infection, affects up to 3m newborns annually, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. It has become increasingly complex to treat because of high rates of drug resistance.
About 214 000 newborn babies die from drug-resistant sepsis globally every year.
The SAMRC’s funding is a continuation of its collaboration with GARDP, which began in 2017 and is aimed at addressing drug-resistant infections with a high burden in South Africa.
The SAMRC was one of the first institutions globally to provide financial support to GARDP at its inception.
GARDP, DNDi GARDP Southern Africa and key global and regional partners, with the support of funders, including the SAMRC, were involved in the neonatal sepsis observational study, which was carried out in 19 hospitals in 11 countries from 2018–2020.
GARDP’s clinical trial on new treatments for neonatal sepsis is based on outcomes from this study.
Issued by Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP)