New antibiotic drug is a massive game changer for people with chronic lower back pain

Chronic lower back pain is one of the top complaints that sends Americans to their doctors — and it’s a leading cause of missed workdays and disability claims.While slipped discs, arthritis and spinal problems are often blamed, for some, the real culprit is an infection.Now, there’s hope on the horizon for these patients.

Early clinical trial results indicate a new antibiotic drug could treat — or even cure — the infection.Experts are hailing it as a “massive gamechanger” with the potential to drastically improve the quality of life for those suffering from chronic lower back pain.Research suggests that for about 25% of patients with chronic back pain, the cause is a bacterial infection in their spinal discs — the spongy tissue that cushions and absorbs shock between vertebrae.This infection damages nearby bones, irritates nerves and fuels inflammation, leading to ongoing back pain.

It also triggers changes in the bone marrow, known as Modic changes, which can be detected through an MRI scan.UK-based biotech company Persica Pharmaceuticals has developed a drug that uses antibiotics to target and eliminate the infection, aiming to address the root cause of the pain rather than just masking the symptoms.The treatment, called PP353, combines three widely used substances: linezolid, an antibiotic; iohexol, a contrast agent; and a thermosensitive gel that helps deliver the drug directly to the site of infection.To test its effectiveness, Persica enrolled 44 patients from the UK, Spain, Denmark and New Zealand.All participants had suffered from severe back pain for at least six months — some for more than five years — and had Modic changes.

Their conditions had not improved with standard non-surgical treatments, such as physical therapy or painkillers.Each patient received two injections of PP353 four days apart in their lower back.The results were promising: six in 10 participants reported “significant” improvements, including reduced pain and...