Intravesical bacteriophages for treating urinary tract infections in patients undergoing transurethral resection of the prostate: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial
RCT (n=113) found intravesical bacteriophage therapy (Pyophage) was non-inferior to standard-of-care antibiotic treatment, but was not superior to placebo bladder irrigation, in terms of efficacy (normalisation of urine culture in 18% vs. 35% vs 28% respectively) in treating UTIs
Source:
The Lancet Infectious Diseases
SPS commentary:
A commentary notes that phage therapy, which is the use of bacterial viruses called bacteriophages to treat bacterial infections, has been studied since 1919, but interest has slowly diminished in favour of antibiotics since about 1950, though there has been a resurgence in interest, as an additional tool in the fight against antibiotic-resistant infections. It calls on researchers and authorities to consider establishing a dedicated framework for evaluating the quality, safety, and efficacy of personalised phage therapy approaches, as well as the evaluation of combinations of bacteriophages with other antibacterial agents, such as antibiotics.