Bayer HealthCare begins new pneumonia drug trial

Bayer HealthCare has announced the commencement of Inhale, a global phase III trial programme evaluating the safety and efficacy of a new treatment for pneumonia.

The first patient has now been enrolled for the study programme, which is designed to assess the benefits of using Amikacin Inhale as an adjunctive therapy to intravenous antibiotics – the current standard of care – in intubated and mechanically ventilated patients with Gram-negative pneumonia.

Consisting of a specially formulated Amikacin inhalation solution and a pulmonary drug delivery system, Amikacin Inhale employs a new therapy approach in which aerosolised antibiotics are targeted directly to the site of infection with low systemic exposure.

Kemal Malik, member of the Bayer executive committee and head of global development, said: "We hope that Amikacin Inhale will provide physicians with a new treatment option for treating Gram-negative pneumonia in this vulnerable patient population."

This comes after the company initiated a new phase III programme for its anticoagulant Xarelto last month that will assess the benefits of the drug among a wide range of patients.