Preparations and formulations for phage therapy

Rapid spread of antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to human healthcare for the upcoming years. Phage therapy consists in delivering viruses able to infect and kill bacteria, namely bacteriophages. They have a synergistic anti-biofilm activity with antibiotics and thus represent a promising and complementary therapeutic approach to treat infections due to multidrug-resistant bacteria. Moreover, phage therapy is a highly personalized strategy because of the specific activity of each phage.

In Lyon, the PHAGEinLYON consortium is developing phage therapy, especially in bone and joint infections. Each phage treatment requires an extemporaneous preparation performed by the hospital pharmacy. In this context, we wish to share our pharmaceutical experience.
First, the medical context of phage therapy in Lyon will be explained, as well as how hospital governance and healthcare authorities support this medical approach given the current status of phages in France.

Then, several formulations already prepared in our hospital (depending of the route of administration, i.e: intraarticular, intravenous, hydrogel application onto bone during surgery) will be presented with their intended.

Finally, quality controls and risk analysis performed for all preparations will be detailed.