Novel Lactam Therapies for Management of Fungal Skin and Nail Infections

Skin and soft tissue infections are a global issue and a common occurrence in ageing populations. Clinical research has reported that annually over 2.1Bn individuals globally suffer from fungal skin infections -an increase of nearly 300Mn in 10 years1. The WHO predict that the population of those over the age of 60 will reach 2 Billion by 2050 2,3, and it is certain that this increase in the aged population will have a markedly increased burden of dermatological infections. In the US and Europe, keratin based (skin, nail) infections are three times more prevalent that urinary tract infections (non-hospital acquired)3, and are largely self-treated using over the counter products. This is a highly commoditised industry where most products on the market incorporate the same generic technical approaches, e.g. allyamines. Key unmet needs in this segment of the market are the need to create sustainable anti-biofilm technologies that are bio-available and efficacious against fungi (and bacteria), reducing material use and negative effects on local healthy tissues, whilst reducing the threat of anti-microbial resistance (AMR).