QPX7728, An Ultra-Broad-Spectrum B-Lactamase Inhibitor for Intravenous and Oral Therapy: Overview of Biochemical and Microbiological Characteristics

Abstract

QPX7728 is a novel β-lactamase inhibitor (BLI) that belongs to a class of cyclic boronates. The first member of this class, vaborbactam, is a BLI in the recently approved Vabomere (meropenem-vaborbactam). In this paper we provide the overview of the biochemical, structural and microbiological studies that were recently conducted with QPX7728. We show that QPX7728 is an ultra-broad-spectrum β-lactamase inhibitor with the broadest spectrum of inhibition reported to date in a single BLI molecule; in addition to potent inhibition of clinically important serine β-lactamases, including Class A and D carbapenemases from Enterobacterales and notably, diverse Class D carbapenemases from Acinetobacter, it also inhibits many metallo β-lactamases. Importantly, it is minimally affected by general intrinsic resistance mechanisms such as efflux and porin mutations that impede entry of drugs into gram-negative bacteria. QPX7728 combinations with several intravenous (IV) β-lactam antibiotics shows broad coverage of Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, including strains that are resistant to other IV β-lactam-BLI combinations, e.g., ceftazidime-avibactam, ceftolozane-tazobactam, meropenem-vaborbactam and imipenem-relebactam that were recently approved for clinical use. Based on studies with P. aeruginosa, different partner β-lactams in combination with QPX7728 may be optimal for the coverage of susceptible organisms. This provides microbiological justification for a stand-alone BLI product for co-administration with different β-lactams. QPX7728 can also be delivered orally; thus, its ultra-broad β-lactamase inhibition spectrum and other features could be also applied to oral QPX7728-based combination products. Clinical development of QPX7728 has been initiated.