logo
How Wockhardt's bet on multi-drug resistant infections is paying off

How Wockhardt's bet on multi-drug resistant infections is paying off

In India, Zaynich will be positioned as a third-line treatment, primarily for ICU patients when other antibiotics have failed
Sohini Das Mumbai
Listen to This Article
Around 2009-10, Mahesh Patel, Wockhardt's chief scientific officer who was due to retire in a year or so, met chairman Habil Khorakiwala and made an impassioned request. He said he could see 'light at the end of the tunnel', and urged that after his retirement, the pharmaceutical company should not abandon the research project he'd been working on.
The project he was referring to was an ambitious attempt to develop a cure for multi-drug resistant infections — one of the most urgent unmet needs in global health care.
''I will work without a salary,' he said,' Khorakiwala recalls. 'Such was
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Fisherman loses part of foot after rare flesh-eating bacteria infection in Mumbai
Fisherman loses part of foot after rare flesh-eating bacteria infection in Mumbai

Time of India

time10 hours ago

  • Time of India

Fisherman loses part of foot after rare flesh-eating bacteria infection in Mumbai

Mumbai: A 78-year-old fisherman from Worli lost a portion of his left foot due to an infection caused by a rare "flesh-eating" bacteria, according to doctors who treated him for a 20-day period before discharging him last week. The bacteria was identified as Vibrio vulnificus, belonging to the same family that causes cholera, an acute diarrhoeal infection. Vibrio vulnificus is found along the coasts, and infections could be caused either by eating contaminated raw shellfish or oysters or exposure due to broken skin while wading through contaminated salt or brackish water. "Vibrio vulnificus infections have been reported in India, but are extremely rare," said Dr Gunjan Chanchalani, who heads the critical care department in Wockhardt Hospital, near Mumbai Central railway station, and was part of the team that treated the fisherman. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai On June 26, the fisherman was brought to the hospital in a near-death situation. "He was in septic shock, with a bad left leg wound. We realised the infection was spreading through his body and his blood pressure was low," said the doctor. Through scans, tests, and history-taking from family members, the doctors realised he had necrotising fasciitis (flesh-eating disease) after a minor foot injury during a routine fishing trip off the Worli coast. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo He recalled a sharp prick while wading through brackish water a few days earlier. Necrotising fasciitis, which can be fatal, is caused by a combination of different bacteria, with the most common being Group A Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus. It is known to spread throughout the body within 48 hours, and the key is to identify the organism causing it and administer the right antibiotic. The Wockhardt microbiologists found Vibrio vulnificus in the culture they grew in the lab within 48 hours, and he was started on doxycycline, the antibiotic that works on cholera as well. However, as the infection spread through his bloodstream (sepsis) and lungs, he was on a ventilator for seven days. Also, surgeons had to carry out three debridements—removal of dead (necrotic) skin tissue to help the wounded leg heal — but they had to finally amputate the front portion of his left foot. "His son told us fishermen in their colony have had similar infections," said Dr Chanchalani. "This could be due to salinity of the sea water getting reduced or pollution due to climate change," she added. Dr Rahul Pandit, who heads the ICU at H N Reliance Hospital in Girgaum, said, "Flesh-eating is a loosely used terminology; the bacteria destroy the skin, soft tissue, and fascia (muscles)." Necrotising fasciitis is not commonly seen in Mumbai, he said, with a few ICUs getting one or two cases a year. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !

How Wockhardt's bet on multi-drug resistant infections is paying off
How Wockhardt's bet on multi-drug resistant infections is paying off

Business Standard

time4 days ago

  • Business Standard

How Wockhardt's bet on multi-drug resistant infections is paying off

In India, Zaynich will be positioned as a third-line treatment, primarily for ICU patients when other antibiotics have failed Sohini Das Mumbai Listen to This Article Around 2009-10, Mahesh Patel, Wockhardt's chief scientific officer who was due to retire in a year or so, met chairman Habil Khorakiwala and made an impassioned request. He said he could see 'light at the end of the tunnel', and urged that after his retirement, the pharmaceutical company should not abandon the research project he'd been working on. The project he was referring to was an ambitious attempt to develop a cure for multi-drug resistant infections — one of the most urgent unmet needs in global health care. ''I will work without a salary,' he said,' Khorakiwala recalls. 'Such was

Wockhardt's proprietary antibiotic Zaynich gets mentioned in leading U.K. Medical Journal
Wockhardt's proprietary antibiotic Zaynich gets mentioned in leading U.K. Medical Journal

Business Standard

time6 days ago

  • Business Standard

Wockhardt's proprietary antibiotic Zaynich gets mentioned in leading U.K. Medical Journal

For its successful use in a critically ill U.S. liver transplant patient suffering from a pan-drug resistant infection A clinically challenging case involving Wockhardt's novel antibiotic Zaynich was recently published in the July 17, 2025 issue of the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - AMR, a leading publication by the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. The publication details the successful use of Zaynich, a combination of Zidebactam and Cefepime, in treating a critically ill U.S. liver transplant patient suffering from a pan-drug resistant infectionan infection resistant to all available antibiotics in the United States. This case report is jointly authored by US clinicians from leading hospitals, Houston Methodist Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College and Johns Hopkins. Notably, this patient was infected with two different pathogens - Pseudomonas and Klebsiella, both resistant to all the recently introduced antibiotics such as cefiderocol, ceftazidime/avibactam, ceftolozane/tazobactam, imipenem/relebactam. The case report detailed the results of genetic analysis of bacterial DNA and determined that Pseudomonas and Klebsiella harbored 4 distinct resistance mechanisms each leading to pan-drug resistance. Initially, the patient was treated for 10 weeks with cefiderocol and eravacycline (a novel tetracycline antibiotic), but the infection persisted, and the Pseudomonas strain became resistant to cefiderocol. The patient continued to suffer from fever and chills, and imaging tests showed new abscesses in the liver clear signs that the infection was not under control. Given the high risk of transplant failure due to these MDR infections, a multidisciplinary team, including microbiologists, infectious disease experts, oncologists, and transplant surgeons, sought emergency access to Zaynich. The antibiotic was administered for 14 days around the time of the liver transplant. The results were remarkable - within 11 days, the patient improved clinically and transferred from ICU to regular floor, and follow-up imaging showed no signs of active infection. Importantly, the patient remained infection-free even after six weeks of completing treatment with Zaynich, making liver transplant successful and allowing doctors to safely resume chemotherapy for the underlying cancer. The authors highlighted the role of Zaynich as a potential treatment option for extensively drug resistant infections with extremely limited/no treatment options. Zaynich is a novel, proprietary antibiotic developed by Wockhardt, combining Zidebactam and Cefepime to combat multi-drug resistant Gram-negative infections. The drug recently completed a global, pivotal Phase III clinical trial, which will support its marketing authorization across international markets. Prior to this, multiple Phase I clinical pharmacology studies involving the Zidebactam/Cefepime combination were successfully conducted in the United States. Zaynich has also completed a multi-indication clinical study in India, specifically targeting carbapenem-resistant infections. To date, more than 50 patients in India and the U.S. suffering from highly resistant infections have been treated with Zaynich under compassionate use programs.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store