A breakthrough drug—zosurabalpin—has become the first new antibiotic in 50 years to show promise against one of the world’s most dangerous superbugs, offering a potential answer to a crisis long recognized by the global health community and the Catholic Church alike.
This drug is aimed at Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacteria described as a “priority” by the World Health Organization and an “urgent threat” by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as it disproportionately affects vulnerable patients in hospitals, often leading to deadly infections like sepsis and pneumonia. As many as 40 to 60 percent of infected patients—many already immunocompromised—do not survive, according to the report.
For Catholics, the gravity of this development invites reflection on the moral responsibility of scientific advancement. “There is an urgent unmet clinical need to develop new antibiotics against priority pathogens such as CRAB where antimicrobial resistance is a major concern,” said Dr. Alistair Farley, scientific lead at the Ineos Oxford Institute.
So why is this drug so significant now? Antimicrobial resistance has been mounting for decades, a threat Pope Francis and the Pontifical Academy for Life have noted in the context of global inequities and our stewardship of creation. In September 2024, the UN General Assembly declared antimicrobial resistance “one of the most urgent global health threats” and called for coordinated international action, including a commitment to reduce deaths linked to resistance by 10 percent by 2030.
Zosurabalpin works by disrupting the very structure that shields Acinetobacter baumannii from attack. “What is exciting about this discovery is that one of the building blocks that are part of the outer part of this bacterial cell is disrupted by this new drug,” said Prof. Laura Piddock of the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership.
Developed by Roche in partnership with Harvard researchers, zosurabalpin works differently than existing antibiotics. It targets the mechanism that allows the bacteria to form its protective outer membrane, a novel approach that may open the door to a new generation of antibiotics. “The innovative biology involved in this research could potentially reveal new insights into the structure of bacterial membranes,” said Larry Tsai of Genentech, a unit of Roche.
Roche has announced that zosurabalpin will now move into its third and final phase of human testing, involving 400 patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections. If successful, the drug could be approved by the end of the decade.
Despite the promise, some pharmaceutical companies have been reluctant to invest in antibiotics, as they are used sparingly to prevent further resistance. Yet the stakes are too high to ignore. The UN warns that without decisive action, antimicrobial resistance could lead to 10 million deaths annually by 2050 and a global economic crash.
Michael Lobritz, Roche’s global head of infectious diseases, said: “Our goal is to contribute new innovations to overcome antimicrobial resistance, one of the biggest infectious disease challenges to public health.”
For Catholics, this advancement is not only scientific but also spiritual. It is a reminder that “science and technology are precious resources when placed at the service of humanity,” as Pope St. John Paul II once said. The Catholic response must be one of prayerful hope, gratitude for those working to heal the sick, and a renewed commitment to global solidarity in the face of medical injustice.
As this new drug offers light in the darkness of resistant infections, it also renews the Church’s call to safeguard the vulnerable and ensure that healing reaches all corners of the human family.
