Where to Get Treated with Phage Therapy ?
PHAGE THERAPY IN GEORGIA
If you're looking where to undergo phage therapy, Georgia will be the first destination that comes to mind! Indeed, Georgia has been practicing phage therapy since 1923, accumulating 100 years of experience. French researcher Félix d'Hérelle, who discovered phage therapy, went to Tbilisi in Georgia in 1920. He established the world institute of phage therapy there. Europe and North America stopped using phage therapy with the onset of World War II and the advent of antibiotics.However, Georgia never stopped practicing it. Even when the West banned phage therapy around 1980, Georgia continued its practice. Today, Georgia stands as the country with the most extensive experience in the field. Its doctors have the best training. The Georgian phage bank is one of the largest in the world, if not the largest.In Georgia, you'll find a phage therapy specialist for each type of pathology. Urologists, pulmonologists, surgeons, ENT specialists, dentists, dermatologists, pediatricians, gastroenterologists, and others who can treat you with phages. However, you need to visit the right place according to your pathology: a clinic for osteitis, a specialized dentist for dental infections and gingivitis, and the Eliava Institute for other types of infections (Pulmonary, urinary, dermatological, etc.).
PHAGE THERAPY IN FRANCE
Phage therapy, which was authorized until 1980, disappeared from the training cycles of French doctors and biologists. Thus, phages also disappeared from pharmacy shelves.However, a renewed interest, driven by increasing antibiotic resistance, is growing. Dr. Dublanchet and Dr. Patey have been at the forefront. They unofficially treated a few rare and lucky patients with great success. Dr. Alain Dublanchet has written a reference book that is the result of his research and practice on phage therapy. The book is entitled: "Phage Therapy: Using Viruses to Fight Infections".The French company Pherecides Pharma produces phages but only for a few bacteria. These phages have been used in the Phagoburn clinical study. This clinical study focused on pseudomonas infections in burn victims. Unfortunately, Pherecydes Pharma was unable to obtain convincing results, having not used the phages in the same way as the Georgians. Indeed, Pherecydes Pharma used very low concentrations of phages. 100 to 1000 phages per bottle for Pherecydes, whereas the Georgians use a concentration of 100,000 to 10,000,000 phages per bottle.A professor from the Croix-Rousse hospital in Lyon has treated about 30 to 40 patients with bone and joint infections using phages. This occurred over a period of three to four years. These are only temporary authorizations for use (ATU) or compassionate uses. Unfortunately, he can only obtain a few rare temporary authorizations. Therefore, he cannot treat all the patients who contact him. However, it remains an avenue to explore when looking where to undergo phage therapy.
Questions about the Croix-Rousse Hospital
We are surprised that this surgeon, who advocates for phage therapy and yet must deny it to most patients who seek it, discourages them from going to Georgia. Strangely enough, he argues that Georgian phages can be dangerous. To believe that Georgia, which treats hundreds of patients from around the world every year, would dare to use poor quality phages is an insult to the country and its doctors. No deaths due to phage therapy have been reported in Georgia. No patient from any country has ever lodged a complaint or reported side effects. It's unfortunate to dissuade French patients from coming to save their limbs or their lives based on false pretenses put forward by just one person in the world, likely out of jealousy.A patient with a Staphylococcus aureus infection consulted this professor. The patient asked to be treated with phages, knowing that the professor had done so before. The professor, who can only obtain a few temporary authorizations and cannot treat all patients, responded that "phage therapy is only useful in the treatment of infections on prostheses" (sic!). This patient then had to undergo amputation in his service! Unfortunately, the wound from his amputation was still infected with Staphylococcus aureus. The patient had to go to Georgia to be properly treated with phage therapy and finally rid himself of the infection. If this professor had been more wise and informed, this patient's leg might well have been saved!
PHAGE THERAPY IN POLAND
A long-established phage therapy research center exists in Poland. It conducts numerous research studies and regularly publishes its results. However, it seems they only treat a very few patients on an experimental or compassionate basis. Indeed, Poland is part of Europe. According to European drug standards, phage therapy cannot yet be approved as a therapeutic means. This is because phages do not fit into the administrative categories that would allow them to be considered as medicines. Therefore, as of now, Poland is not among the destinations where one can undergo phage therapy.
PHAGE THERAPY IN BELGIUM
The Queen Astrid Military Hospital in Belgium produces a few phages and treats some patients with phage therapy. Unfortunately, they do not have a wide variety of phages and are only able to treat three bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii. They only treated a few patients per year, all in emergency situations. Their production capacity appears to be quantitatively very insufficient at this time.
