The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust is spearheading a multi-country clinical trial, NeoSep1, to find safer and more effective treatments for neonatal sepsis, a leading cause of newborn deaths globally, especially amidst rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

• Neonatal sepsis causes over 550,000 newborn deaths annually worldwide, with low- and middle-income countries most affected.
• The trial, led by the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP), will enroll 3,000 newborns. Kenya will contribute 600 participants from Kilifi County Referral Hospital, Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, and Mbagathi Hospital.
• Research scientist Christina Obiero at KEMRI-Wellcome Trust highlighted that many existing antibiotics are losing effectiveness due to resistance, making this study a crucial step in tackling both neonatal mortality and the growing AMR threat.