SHIONOGI’S ANTIBIOTIC, FETCROJA® (CEFIDEROCOL), IS NOW AVAILABLE IN THE NETHERLANDS
- FETCROJA® (cefiderocol) is now available in the Netherlands for the treatment of infections due to aerobic Gram-negative bacteria in adults with limited treatment options1
- Cefiderocol provides coverage against all Gram-negative pathogens considered of critical priority by the WHO – carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacterales2,3
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major health burden which urgently needs to be addressed, with 6,000 cases of antibiotic-resistant infections found in the Netherlands in 2020 alone4
Shionogi & Co., Ltd. and its European subsidiary, Shionogi B.V. (hereafter “Shionogi”), today announces that its antibiotic, cefiderocol, is now available in the Netherlands for the treatment of infections due to aerobic Gram-negative bacteria in adults (18 years or older) with limited treatment options.1
Cefiderocol is available to purchase in the Netherlands through Alloga (Nederland) B.V.
The Netherlands, home to Shionogi’s European Headquarters, keeps AMR high on their political agenda. AMR is managed from a One Health approach, ensuring measures are in place in all areas where the spread of resistant bacteria occurs; healthcare, livestock farming, the environment and food.5 Along with enforcing strict rules to minimise the use of antibiotics and spread of resistant bacteria, the Dutch government are dedicated to investigating antibiotic resistance in food and the environment to better their approach in preventing the spread.5In 2017, the Netherlands Antibiotics Development Platform (NADP) was set up, which encourages companies to develop new antibiotics and new ways to treat people. In addition, the government has provided a subsidy to support the development of bacterial vaccines, so fewer antibiotics are needed.6
“This launch in The Netherlands is an important step in rapidly expanding access to cefiderocol across Europe, where we are seeing an increasing trend in the number of antibiotic-resistant infections. Our goal is to ensure availability to clinicians of our new treatment option for all adult patients experiencing aerobic Gram-negative organisms who have limited treatment options.” said Huw Tippett, CEO, Shionogi Europe.
“This is particularly important to us because we recently opened our new European headquarters in Amsterdam, a great city with a thriving life science community as well as world renowned knowledge institutions, public-private partnerships, a strategic location and of course the presence of key regulatory bodies such as the European Medicines Agency. We look forward to working with all stakeholders to ultimately improve the health of Dutch patients wherever possible.”
Resistant Gram-negative infections
The increasing resistance of many infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria to existing therapies, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and non-fermenting species such as P. aeruginosa, A. baumannii, and S. maltophilia, makes them difficult to treat and results in high mortality rates.7,8 The World Health Organization have identified carbapenem-resistant strains of Enterobacterales, P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii as the top priority in the research and development of new antibiotics.2 Cefiderocol is the first antibiotic to address all three major mechanisms of carbapenem-resistance and is an important treatment option to address this urgent unmet need.9
Shionogi’s commitment to fighting antimicrobial resistance
Shionogi has a strong heritage in the field of anti-infectives and has been developing antimicrobial therapies for more than 60 years. Shionogi is proud to be one of the few large pharmaceutical companies that continues to focus on research and development in anti-infectives. The company invests the highest proportion of its pharmaceutical revenues in relevant anti-infectives R&D compared to other large pharmaceutical companies.10
For more information on Shionogi & Co., Ltd., please visit http://www.shionogi.co.jp/en/.
