Francisella tularensis (F. tularensis) is a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) category "A" Gram-negative biothreat pathogen. Inhalation of F. tularensis can cause pneumonia and respiratory failure and is associated with high mortality rates without early treatment. Gepotidacin is a novel, first-in-class triazaacenaphthylene antibiotic that inhibits bacterial DNA replication by a distinct mechanism of action. Gepotidacin selectively inhibits bacterial DNA replication via a unique binding mode, has activity against multidrug-resistant target pathogens, and has demonstrated in vitro activity against diverse collections of F. tularensis isolates (MIC90 of 0.5 to 1 μg/mL). Gepotidacin was evaluated in the cynomolgus macaque model of inhalational tularemia, using the SCHU S4 strain, with treatment initiated after exposure and sustained fever. Macaques were dosed via intravenous (i.v.) infusion with saline or gepotidacin at 72 mg/kg/day to support a human i.v. infusion dosing regimen of 1,000 mg three times daily. The primary study endpoint was survival, with survival duration and bacterial clearance as secondary endpoints. Gepotidacin treatment resulted in 100% survival compared to 12.5% in the saline-treated control group (P < 0.0001) at Day 43 postinhalational challenge. All gepotidacin-treated animals were blood and organ culture negative for F. tularensis at the end of the study. In contrast, none of the saline control animals were blood and organ culture negative. Gepotoidacin's novel mechanism of action and the efficacy data reported here (aligned with the Food and Drug Administration Animal Rule) support gepotidacin as a potential treatment for pneumonic tularemia in an emergency biothreat situation.
Keywords: FDA Animal Rule; Francisella tularensis; biothreat; cynomolgus macaque; gepotidacin; tularemia.