title: Can biotech deliver new antibiotics?
abstract: The evolution of support for the discovery and development of antibacterial (or antibiotic) agents from the larger pharmaceutical companies to the entrepreneur-like small biotechnology companies has been an experiment in the making for the past 15 years. The word 'experiment' is precisely chosen as the outcome is not certain. Many of the antibiotic biotech organizations that were most likely to undertake the task of picking up where large pharmaceutical companies left off have failed to survive, despite their use of outstanding science and their novel approaches to the development of discovery platforms. So this leaves one with the question of 'can biotech deliver the new antibiotics?'.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ 07065, USA. john_barrett@merck.com
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Barrett
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D035843:Biomedical Research; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000191:economics; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006801:Humans; D013678:Technology, Pharmaceutical / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents