The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), with partners St George’s University of London and the Paediatric Infectious Disease Network (Penta), have completed the data cleaning process and locked the database for the global neonatal sepsis observational study. The database for the study, which recruited more than 3,200 newborns across 19 sites in 11 countries, was locked at the end of July.

Preliminary results from the study will be presented to the 19 site teams on 13-14 October 2020. Final global results will be submitted for publication by the end of 2020. The observational study, one of the largest ever focused on neonatal sepsis, will provide evidence to fill knowledge gaps, help transform treatment and save lives.

Newborns are a vulnerable population as their underdeveloped immune systems struggle to fight infections. Within hours, a baby with sepsis, an infection of the bloodstream, can be in a life-threatening situation. This is complicated by drug resistance, with up to 40% of bacterial infections in babies resistant to standard treatments. Despite the huge numbers of babies affected by sepsis, our understanding of how to treat them is limited. GARDP is responding to this critical blind spot through work to update knowledge and guidance, alongside the development of new treatments.

Learn more about GARDP’s children’s antibiotics programme