New Lyme Antibiotics - About Hygromycin A and Azlocillin

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New Lyme Antibiotics - Hygromycin A and Azlocillin Image

Updated: 3/28/23

On The Horizon

There are two recent antibiotic discoveries that could change the course of Lyme disease treatment. One of these is azlocillin and the other is hygromycin A. FlightPath is a company that has looked into bringing both of these drugs to market. Based on my phone conversation with CEO Matt Tindall on May 18, 2022, FlightPath is no longer pursuing bringing azlocillin to market, but continues its development of hygromycin A.

Azlocillin

Azlocillin is an FDA-approved antibiotic shown in laboratory experiments, including mouse experiments, to effectively treat persister phase and growth phase Lyme. You can read more about persisters in How to Treat Persisters in Lyme & Bartonella. Unfortunately, there is one hitch—no pharmaceutical company currently produces this medication. While mouse experiments and other science experiments look promising, no published human experiments exist.

One drawback to bringing azlocillin to market is that it is a very broad-spectrum antibiotic. This means it kills a variety of different bacteria which could lead to major disturbances of the intestinal bacteria. In general, pharmaceutical companies are more interested in developing antibiotics that target specific germs while leaving the intestinal bacteria alone.  Given this, it is doubtful any pharmaceutical company will develop azlocillin further.

Hygromycin A

Hygromycin A is a substance found in soil that targets Lyme spirochetes and does not appear to target other bacteria—so as to not disturb the intestinal microbiome. FlightPath is developing hygromycin A, this novel therapeutic. However, because it is not FDA-approved, it could take years or more to bring this to market. FlightPath must first perform the required laboratory and clinical studies to get FDA approval.

In my conversations with CEO Tindall, FlightPath is interested in pursuing hygromycin A as a treatment for acute Lyme. The company is hoping to develop a drug that will not harm the intestinal bacteria. At this time, they are not pursuing this as a treatment for chronic or persister Lyme.

Lyme Protocol

For current treatment options that may speed your Lyme recovery, see The Ross Lyme Support Protocol.

References

View Citations

  1. Pothineni VR, Potula H-HSK, Ambati A, et al. Azlocillin can be the potential drug candidate against drug-tolerant Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto JLB31. Sci Rep. 2020;10(1):3798. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-59600-4 (View)
  2. Leimer N, Wu X, Imai Y, et al. A selective antibiotic for Lyme disease. Cell. 2021;184(21):5405-5418,e16. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2021.09.011 (View)
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About The Author

Marty Ross, MD is a passionate Lyme disease educator and clinical expert. He helps Lyme sufferers and their physicians see what really works based on his review of the science and extensive real-world experience. Dr. Ross is licensed to practice medicine in Washington State (License: MD00033296) where he has treated thousands of Lyme disease patients in his Seattle practice.

Marty Ross, MD is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine and Georgetown University Family Medicine Residency. He is a member of the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society (ILADS), The Institute for Functional Medicine, and The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M).

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