According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only a tiny percentage of antibiotics now being tested in clinical trials are “innovative” enough to combat resistance. As per Dr. Valeria Gigante, team leader at WHO’s Antimicrobial Resistance Division in Geneva, Switzerland, only one antibiotic, Cefiderocol, has been licensed in the five years covered by this research that is effective against all of the WHO-designated priority diseases.
Certain bacteria can acquire the gene that codes for the enzyme New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1. This gene confers “resistance” on bacteria by destroying the “final line of defense” of the carbapenem antibiotic class.
As per Fox News, many specialists consider bacteria that have gained this gene to be “superbugs” because they can no longer be destroyed with standard antibiotics. Although the NDM-1 gene is most commonly expressed by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, it is feasible to transfer this gene from one bacterial strain to another.
According to experts, a new antimicrobial agent to tackle drug-resistant infections is a major priority for the pharmaceutical industry. These treatments have a failure rate comparable to cancer and heart disease therapies, which may provide a considerably greater return on investment.
Dr. Michael Wolfe, a clinical associate professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center and an authority on the subject, has summed up the problem’s complexities by pointing to its three prongs: scientific complexity, regulatory complexity, and economic complexity. As a result, “it’s frequently just easier to bring me-to’ medications to market than it is to try to really design a fresh treatment,” he noted.
The WHO’s report also highlights the urgent need for new and innovative antibiotics to combat drug-resistant bacteria, especially the “superbugs” that can resist all commonly used antibiotics. Experts stress the importance of investing in research and development to find new antimicrobial agents. Still, the process is complicated and costly, making it challenging for pharmaceutical companies to prioritize developing such drugs.
As per an early release of special presentations by Dr. Valeria Gigante and Professor Venkatasubramanian Ramasubramanian of an online “pre-meeting” of the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases on April 15 to 18 in Copenhagen, Denmark, antibiotic resistance is a significant concern in modern medicine today. The researchers emphasize a need for safer, more effective, and inexpensive agents to treat many of these significant infections.
Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island, New York, stated, “It is critical that new and innovative products be investigated.” He added that the treatment for drug-resistant infections involves newer agents that are more expensive than standard therapies, which means that poor people are disproportionately affected by antimicrobial resistance.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 2.8 million individuals in the United States become ill each year as a result of antibiotic-resistant infections, and over 35,000 people die as a direct result of these illnesses (CDC).The researchers at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases are presenting data on innovative strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance.
They emphasize the importance of developing new antibiotics and alternative therapies to reduce the reliance on existing drugs. The researchers also highlight the need for better surveillance, infection prevention, and control measures to reduce the spread of resistant infections.
