Stopped: The target cannot be achieved within timeline due to delay of ethics approval
Background and rationale: Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health threat. An increasing number of Gram-negative bacteria isolates worldwide are resistant to virtually all antibiotics including carbapenems. Although polymyxins are the current gold standard antibiotic for treatment of severe extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (XDR-GNB - defined in Appendix I) infections, resistance development on therapy and treatment failures are common. Combination antibiotics therapy have better in vitro efficacy, but have not been formally tested in a prospective trial. We will conduct a Phase IIB, prospective, open-label, randomized-controlled trial in 4 major Singaporean hospitals, with balanced treatment assignments achieved by permuted block randomization, stratified by hospital. There will be 75 subjects per arm, with the subjects in the comparator arm receiving standard-dose polymyxin B while the intervention arm will receive a second antibiotic, doripenem, with polymyxin B against the bacterial isolate in question. Subjects with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) will additionally receive nebulized colistin. The primary outcome is 30-day mortality while secondary outcomes include microbiological clearance, time to defervescence, and toxicity of therapy, presence of secondary infections due to new multi-drug resistant bacteria and length of ICU stay. Plasma drug levels will be measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Hypothesis: The underlying primary hypothesis is that combination antibiotic therapy (IV polymyxin B + IV doripenem) is superior to mono-antibiotics therapy (IV polymyxin B) in reducing 30-day mortality from XDR-GNB infections.
Age range
21 Years – 90 Years
Sex
ALL
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A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
The primary outcome will be all-cause mortality at 30 days post-date of randomization
Timeframe: All-cause mortality at 30 days post-randomization