ANDREA JENKYNS
Andrea champions new antibiotics

As a health campaigner Andrea has taken a keen interest in the findings of the O’Neill Review into Antimicrobial Resistance (resistance to antibiotics). AMR puts at risk the effectiveness of our existing antibiotics, as more infections become resistant to the treatments we currently have available. The Review recommends more research into developing new antibiotics to combat this.

Andrea recently met with Matoke Holdings who have developed Reactive Oxygen, which has shown to be a whole new class of antibiotics. This is obviously a very exciting development and one that Andrea wanted to champion in Parliament. 

She asked:

“I recently met biotech firm Matoke Holdings, which has developed a new technology—reactive oxygen technology. It has found that this technology forms the basis of a whole new generation of antibiotics that has been proven to combat multi-resistant bacteria, including MRSA.

“This is an incredibly exciting development. Will my hon. Friend and her team agree to meet Matoke Holdings to hear about the new technology and the pace at which it has developed? What are the Government doing to support research into new antibiotics?”

Jane Ellison, the Public Health Minister, replied:

“My hon. Friend will be aware that a key focus of the O’Neill review was how to incentivise the development of new antimicrobials. It is scary to think that there has not been a new class of antibiotics for some decades now.

“The Government are funding an extensive AMR research programme. Matoke Holdings ​has been in contact with the Department, and we are in the process of arranging a meeting to discuss reactive oxygen technology in the coming weeks.

“My ministerial colleague, the Under-Secretary of State for Life Sciences, has indicated that he would also be happy to have such a meeting.”

Commenting after Questions, Andrea said:

“I’m delighted the Government have recognised the potential impact of this exciting technology which can help with the fight against AMR.”

Ian Staples, chief executive of Matoke Holdings Ltd, said:

“We are very grateful to Andrea for championing Reactive Oxygen – a British innovation. She knows from personal experience how deadly superbugs are and the urgent need for new treatment and infection prevention strategies.”