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Recce Pharmaceuticals’ new class antibiotic effective in treating urinary tract infections during pre-clinical trials

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By Lorna Nicholas - 
Recce Pharmaceuticals antibiotics ASX RCE kidney urinary tract infection

Data from the pre-clinical study suggests Recce Pharmaceuticals’ RECCE 327 antibiotic may be a useful pre-sepsis treatment.

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Frequent urinary tract infection (UTI) and kidney infection sufferers may have some relief after Recce Pharmaceuticals (ASX: RCE) revealed pre-clinical trials had demonstrated its new class broad spectrum antibiotics were effective against one of the primary causes E. coli bacteria.

Recce trialled its RECCE 327 antibiotic in rat models afflicted with E. coli (gram negative) caused UTIs and kidney infections.

Both UTIs and kidney infections can become serious and have the risk of progressing to sepsis, which is also known as blood poisoning and can be fatal.

Data from the pre-clinical work revealed the antibiotic was effective in treating the infections.

According to Recce, data also demonstrates the potential of RECCE 327 in forming part of a broader treatment for pre-sepsis, by tackling the initial causes of the potentially fatal disorder.

As part of this, Recce plans to expand its patent protection and claims for the antibiotic.

“These data support the use of RECCE 327 across the full therapeutic road map for pre-sepsis and sepsis conditions, now including the treatment of primary infection by E. coli in kidney and UTIs,” Recce chairman Dr John Predergast said.

“This further justifies the exciting potential of RECCE 327 as a new class of antibiotics as we continue to gather new data ahead of our first in-human clinical studies,” he added.

UTIs and sepsis

According to the US National Centre for Biotechnology Information, about 150 million people worldwide develop UTIs each year.

In the US, 11 million people are estimated to develop a UTI each year, which is believed to cost the country about US$5 billion annually.

Up to 90% of UTIs are caused by E. coli which is a gram-negative bacteria. UTIs can spread from the bladder to the kidneys, which alone can make people very unwell.

This can then progress to sepsis resulting in septic shock and then death. The mortality rate for patients with severe sepsis can be as much as 60%.