<i>M. avium Complex</i> Pulmonary Infections: Therapeutic Obstacles and Progress in Drug Development

Worldwide, several million people are infected with mycobacteria such as <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> (<i>M. tb</i>) or non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). In 2023, 10.8 million cases and 1.25 million deaths due to <i>M. tb</i> were recorded. In Europe and No...

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Main Authors: Elise Si Ahmed Charrier, Alexandra Dassonville-Klimpt, Claire Andréjak, Pascal Sonnet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Pharmaceuticals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/6/891
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author Elise Si Ahmed Charrier
Alexandra Dassonville-Klimpt
Claire Andréjak
Pascal Sonnet
author_facet Elise Si Ahmed Charrier
Alexandra Dassonville-Klimpt
Claire Andréjak
Pascal Sonnet
author_sort Elise Si Ahmed Charrier
collection DOAJ
description Worldwide, several million people are infected with mycobacteria such as <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> (<i>M. tb</i>) or non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). In 2023, 10.8 million cases and 1.25 million deaths due to <i>M. tb</i> were recorded. In Europe and North America, the emergence of NTM is tending to outstrip that of <i>M. tb</i>. Among pulmonary NTM, <i>Mycobacterium avium complex</i> (MAC) is the most common, accounting for 80% of NTM infections. First-line treatment requires the combination of at least three antibiotics over a long period and with different mechanisms of action to limit cross-resistance. The challenge is to discover more effective new anti-MAC molecules to reduce the duration of treatment and to overcome resistant strains. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the challenges posed by MAC infection such as side effects, reinfections and resistance mechanisms. The latest therapeutic options such as the optimized combination therapy, drug repurposing and the development of new formulations, as well as new anti-MAC compounds currently in (pre)clinical trials will also be discussed.
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series Pharmaceuticals
spelling doaj-art-e1c52d3d36314fc5a870287c4b2d50de2025-08-20T03:16:21ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472025-06-0118689110.3390/ph18060891<i>M. avium Complex</i> Pulmonary Infections: Therapeutic Obstacles and Progress in Drug DevelopmentElise Si Ahmed Charrier0Alexandra Dassonville-Klimpt1Claire Andréjak2Pascal Sonnet3Agents Infectieux, Résistance et Chimiothérapie, AGIR, Université de Picardie-Jules-Verne, UR 4294, UFR de Pharmacie, 1 Rue des Louvels, CEDEX 1, 80037 Amiens, FranceAgents Infectieux, Résistance et Chimiothérapie, AGIR, Université de Picardie-Jules-Verne, UR 4294, UFR de Pharmacie, 1 Rue des Louvels, CEDEX 1, 80037 Amiens, FranceAgents Infectieux, Résistance et Chimiothérapie, AGIR, Université de Picardie-Jules-Verne, UR 4294, UFR de Pharmacie, 1 Rue des Louvels, CEDEX 1, 80037 Amiens, FranceAgents Infectieux, Résistance et Chimiothérapie, AGIR, Université de Picardie-Jules-Verne, UR 4294, UFR de Pharmacie, 1 Rue des Louvels, CEDEX 1, 80037 Amiens, FranceWorldwide, several million people are infected with mycobacteria such as <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> (<i>M. tb</i>) or non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). In 2023, 10.8 million cases and 1.25 million deaths due to <i>M. tb</i> were recorded. In Europe and North America, the emergence of NTM is tending to outstrip that of <i>M. tb</i>. Among pulmonary NTM, <i>Mycobacterium avium complex</i> (MAC) is the most common, accounting for 80% of NTM infections. First-line treatment requires the combination of at least three antibiotics over a long period and with different mechanisms of action to limit cross-resistance. The challenge is to discover more effective new anti-MAC molecules to reduce the duration of treatment and to overcome resistant strains. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the challenges posed by MAC infection such as side effects, reinfections and resistance mechanisms. The latest therapeutic options such as the optimized combination therapy, drug repurposing and the development of new formulations, as well as new anti-MAC compounds currently in (pre)clinical trials will also be discussed.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/6/891non-tuberculous mycobacteria<i>Mycobacterium avium complex</i>anti-MAC compoundsdrug developmentclinical trials
spellingShingle Elise Si Ahmed Charrier
Alexandra Dassonville-Klimpt
Claire Andréjak
Pascal Sonnet
<i>M. avium Complex</i> Pulmonary Infections: Therapeutic Obstacles and Progress in Drug Development
Pharmaceuticals
non-tuberculous mycobacteria
<i>Mycobacterium avium complex</i>
anti-MAC compounds
drug development
clinical trials
title <i>M. avium Complex</i> Pulmonary Infections: Therapeutic Obstacles and Progress in Drug Development
title_full <i>M. avium Complex</i> Pulmonary Infections: Therapeutic Obstacles and Progress in Drug Development
title_fullStr <i>M. avium Complex</i> Pulmonary Infections: Therapeutic Obstacles and Progress in Drug Development
title_full_unstemmed <i>M. avium Complex</i> Pulmonary Infections: Therapeutic Obstacles and Progress in Drug Development
title_short <i>M. avium Complex</i> Pulmonary Infections: Therapeutic Obstacles and Progress in Drug Development
title_sort i m avium complex i pulmonary infections therapeutic obstacles and progress in drug development
topic non-tuberculous mycobacteria
<i>Mycobacterium avium complex</i>
anti-MAC compounds
drug development
clinical trials
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/6/891
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AT claireandrejak imaviumcomplexipulmonaryinfectionstherapeuticobstaclesandprogressindrugdevelopment
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