'Exciting' new wonder drug could beat superbug spreading like wildfire through hospitals

The first new in 50 years to tackle a deadly superbug will be tested on patients in a major trial. Zosurabalpin is a novel drug that has shown promise in treating drug-resistant infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii.

The bacteria can cause infections in the blood, lungs, urinary tracts and wounds, particularly in . It has been listed by the World Health Organization as a critical priority antibiotic-resistant pathogen.Estimates for the death rate among infected patients range from around 40% to 60%.

Swiss drugmaker Roche has announced it will launch a global phase three trial - the final crucial stage of human testing - with 400 patients to evaluate the Zosurabalpin's efficacy. If successful, it could be the first new class of antibiotic discovered in decades.

Michael Lobritz, global head of infectious diseases at Roche pharma research and early development told the Financial Times that looking for new antibiotics involved "going back to the drawing board" and examining how bacteria work.

He added: "This antibiotic is important, but it can also serve as a catalysis point for future innovation. Finding new classes is very hard.

"There are very few... that have been discovered in the last 15 years. So if you are able to launch a new one, we can build off that for decades to come."

Around one million people are thought to be infected with Acinetobacter baumannii each year globally.

Rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is considered one of the greatest global health threats.

But developing new antibiotics is a challenging and expensive task due to a lengthy process and high failure rate.

A major report last year predicted AMR could cause as many as 10 million deaths per year by 2050, with the majority among patients aged 70 and over.