[Phage therapy: where do we stand?]

Abstract

Phage therapy: WHERE DO WE STAND? Bacteriophages, discovered at the beginning of the 20th century by Félix d'Hérelle, are viruses that infect and destroy bacteria. Unlike antibiotics, phages are specific to a given bacterial species. After initial successes (shigellosis, cholera), the arrival of antibiotics overshadowed phage therapy. It was not until 2000, with the emergence of antibiotic resistance, that phages and phage therapy made a comeback. They have the status of medicines, but production remains limited. In France, treatments are carried out on a compassionate basis, with a number of isolated successes that need to be confirmed by clinical trials. Some trials are currently underway in France to assess the efficacy of phage therapy in combination with antibiotics. France, a pioneer in phage therapy in its early days and at the time of its comeback, seems to be slowing down in 2024 compared with its European neighbors. The adoption of phage therapy on a routine basis in France will still require time and significant progress.