Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27678056›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2016

Repurposing clinically approved cephalosporins for tuberculosis therapy.

Santiago Ramón-García, Rubén González Del Río, Angel Santos Villarejo, Gaye D Sweet, Fraser Cunningham, David Barros, Lluís Ballell, Alfonso Mendoza-Losana, Santiago Ferrer-Bazaga, Charles J Thompson

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05169554 (Beta-Lactam Containing Regimen for the Shortening of Buruli Ulcer Disease Therapy), which is not on this map. Cited by 51 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
51citing papers in PubMed
6.7field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05169554 phase2unknown statusnot on this mapstarted 2021, after this paper: background citation

Beta-Lactam Containing Regimen for the Shortening of Buruli Ulcer Disease Therapy: Comparison of 8 Weeks Standard Therapy (Rifampicin Plus Clarithromycin) vs. 4 Weeks Standard Plus Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Therapy [RC8 vs. RCA4]

TypeinterventionalSponsorFundacion Agencia Aragonesa para la Investigacion y Desarrollo (ARAID)Ran2021 to 2026Enrolled140ConditionsBuruli UlcerArmsStandard [RC8]: rifampicin plus clarithromycin (RC) therapy for 8 weeks., Investigational [RCA4]: standard (RC) plus amoxicillin/clavulanate (A) for 4 weeks.
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

51 citing papers in PubMed, 89 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Cefpiramide RestrictsACS medicinal chemistry letters · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Mycobacteria susceptibility to epetraborole: how far can it go?The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease · 2025
    Article
  9. Review
  10. Beta-lactam combination treatment overcomes rifampicin resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2025
    Article
  11. Sanfetrinem, an oral β-lactam antibiotic repurposed for the treatment of tuberculosis.Drug resistance updates : reviews and commentaries in antimicrobial and anticancer chemotherapy · 2025
    Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Mutations inmBio · 2023
    Article
  19. Repurposing β-Lactams for the Treatment ofAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
    Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Santiago Ramón-GarcíaDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Life Sciences Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Rubén González Del RíoGlaxoSmithKline-Diseases of the Developing World, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.
Angel Santos VillarejoGlaxoSmithKline-Diseases of the Developing World, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.
Gaye D SweetDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Life Sciences Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Fraser CunninghamGlaxoSmithKline-Diseases of the Developing World, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.
David BarrosGlaxoSmithKline-Diseases of the Developing World, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.
Lluís BallellGlaxoSmithKline-Diseases of the Developing World, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.
Alfonso Mendoza-LosanaGlaxoSmithKline-Diseases of the Developing World, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.
Santiago Ferrer-BazagaGlaxoSmithKline-Diseases of the Developing World, Tres Cantos, Madrid, Spain.
Charles J ThompsonDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Centre for Tuberculosis Research, Life Sciences Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z3, Canada.
GlaxoSmithKline (Spain) · ESUniversity of British Columbia · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

While modern cephalosporins developed for broad spectrum antibacterial activities have never been pursued for tuberculosis (TB) therapy, we identified first generation cephalosporins having clinically relevant inhibitory concentrations, both alone and in synergistic drug combinations. Common chemical patterns required for activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis were identified using structure-activity relationships (SAR) studies. Numerous cephalosporins were synergistic with rifampicin, the cornerstone drug for TB therapy, and ethambutol, a first-line anti-TB drug. Synergy was observed even under intracellular growth conditions where beta-lactams typically have limited activities. Cephalosporins and rifampicin were 4- to 64-fold more active in combination than either drug alone; however, limited synergy was observed with rifapentine or rifabutin. Clavulanate was a key synergistic partner in triple combinations. Cephalosporins (and other beta-lactams) together with clavulanate rescued the activity of rifampicin against a rifampicin resistant strain. Synergy was not due exclusively to increased rifampicin accumulation within the mycobacterial cells. Cephalosporins were also synergistic with new anti-TB drugs such as bedaquiline and delamanid. Studies will be needed to validate their in vivo activities. However, the fact that cephalosporins are orally bioavailable with good safety profiles, together with their anti-mycobacterial activities reported here, suggest that they could be repurposed within new combinatorial TB therapies.

Identifiers

PMID27678056
PMCPMC5039641
OpenAlexW2527579883

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.