Bacteriophage therapy is the use of bacterial viruses (phage) in the treatment of bacterial infections. Belgium has implemented a legal framework for phage therapy, in which the quality and safety of individual phages need to be controlled by an independent laboratory.
Sciensano performs this control on 2 levels:
- A genetic control to check the safety of a particular phage to be used in human therapy
- A control of various parameters of the different production lots of each phage.
The phage producers receive a certificate for the successful completion of this 2-level procedure. This certificate allows the phage to be used in pharmaceutical preparations.
Pieter-Jan Ceyssens for more information.