Phage Therapy in the Modern Era : Clinical Advances, 2024-2025
Data and Opportunities in Georgia. Key clinical outcomes 2024-2025
Phage therapy represents a safe, validated and promising alternative against multidrug-resistant infections.
— Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2025
“Incorporating phage therapy into modern hospital protocols is no longer a question of ‘if’, but of ‘when’.”
— Nature Microbiology, 2024
For decades, the rise of multi-resistant bacteria has rendered classic antibiotic treatments increasingly ineffective. In the face of this crisis, phage therapy is making a comeback as a targeted, non-toxic and adaptable option. Reviews such as Nature Microbiology underline that integrating phages into modern protocols is a matter of “when” rather than “if”. For example, the article Advocating for phage therapy reports that, in 43 phage batches used clinically, a clinical improvement was observed in 77.2 % of cases.
Uchechukwu & Shonekan Study (Journal of Medical Microbiology)
The article “Current status of clinical trials for phage therapy” analyses more than 40 clinical trials worldwide (skin infections, urinary, pulmonary, bone). The authors insist on three essential criteria for effectiveness:
the need for an in-vitro test proving bacterial strain sensitivity to the phage, a sufficient concentration (high titre), and optimal route of administration.
Among noteworthy results:
In chronic otitis due to Pseudomonas, a phage cocktail led to significant clinical improvement and bacterial load reduction;
in chronic rhinitis due to Staphylococcus aureus, administration of three phages over 7 to 14 days allowed complete eradication in some cases and a clear reduction of growth in others.
Overall tolerance is excellent: no serious adverse effects have been reported, even in trials combining antibiotics and phages.
Data on pulmonary infections (Sarkodie-Addo et al.)
A review in the Journal of Respiratory Medicine compiled human data regarding phages in respiratory infections. The most encouraging results concern patients with cystic fibrosis infected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa: nebulisation of phages reduced microbial load and improved clinical parameters without major side-effects. Conditions of success include a good phage/bacteria match, stable formulations and adapted dosage. The trials remain limited, mostly observational, which restricts statistical power of the conclusions.
Recent cases of personalised nebulised therapies
A study published in Nature Medicine (Chan et al., 2025) reports an experience on nine adults with cystic fibrosis: personalised nebulised therapy caused a median reduction of 10⁴ CFU/mL in Pseudomonas expectorations, without altering the pulmonary microbiome. Patients also showed a 6-8 % improvement in FEV₁. Another European observational study (100 cases) revealed clinical improvement in 77.2 % and bacterial eradication in 61.3 %, often in association with antibiotics.
Summary of phage-based treatment outcomes (2018-2023)
Clinical data collected over the period 2018-2023 confirm recent trends: phage therapy shows real efficacy, excellent tolerance and particular usefulness in resistant or chronic infections.
A systematic review of 1 904 patients treated with phages reports that about 79 % of patients showed significant clinical improvement and in more than half of cases a complete eradication of the targeted bacterium.
Bone- and joint-prosthesis infections are among the best documented: patients with recurrent knee or hip prosthetic infections regained full mobility and no relapse several months post-therapy. In cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, post-treatment cultures were negative and symptoms had disappeared. The combined approach phage + conservative surgery (so-called “PhagoDAIR”) allowed full healing in the majority of cases, without notable side-effects.
Chronic pulmonary infections, notably in cystic fibrosis, showed promising results: in phase 1/2 trials with the AP-PA02 cocktail, treated patients had reduced bacterial load and improved respiratory function, with a tolerance profile comparable to placebo.
In diabetic foot ulcer infections, experimental treatment TP-102 led to wound closure in nearly 75 % of treated cases, versus about 34 % under placebo. Phages targeting Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii thus demonstrated their efficacy, with perfect tolerance.
For urinary infections caused by E. coli, several trials (crPhage LBP-EC01, SNIPR001) confirmed good tolerance and initial reduction in bacterial load, without serious side-effects. Finally, exceptional cases — such as disseminated Mycobacterium abscessus infections treated with genetically modified phages — resulted in complete clinical and functional healings, showing the flexibility and power of this approach.
Overall, whether dealing with infected wounds, osteomyelitis or severe respiratory infections, phage therapy allowed durable remissions in situations where antibiotics had failed.
Georgia : a favourable framework for phage therapy
On phagetherapygeorgia.eu we offer articles dedicated to alternative treatments in Georgia, notably phage therapy. Georgia stands out for:
- clinical centres authorised to practise phage therapy under medical supervision,
- GMP-certified laboratories producing high-quality phage preparations,
- and a regulatory context favourable to therapeutic innovation.
Explore more: arrange your phage therapy stay in Georgia
Georgia offers international patients a safe and innovative medical environment, combining scientific expertise with personalised support.