The global need for effective antibiotics: challenges and recent advances.
The emerging problem of antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to global public health. The situation is aggravated by a substantial decline in the research and development of antibacterial agents. Hence, very few new antibacterial classes are brought to market when older classes lose their efficacy. There has been renewed and growing attention within policy groups to: (i) address the problem; (ii) discuss incentives for the development of urgently needed new treatments; (iii) preserve the efficacy of existing therapeutic options. We briefly review the basic principles of antibiotic resistance, and contrast the increasing resistance to the dwindling antibacterial 'pipeline'. We also highlight some recent policy initiatives aiming to secure the future need of effective antibiotics.
Högberg
Liselotte Diaz
LD
Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Box 256, 751 05 Uppsala, Sweden. liselotte.hogberg@medsci.uu.se
Heddini
Andreas
A
Cars
Otto
O
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D035843:Biomedical Research; D055808:Drug Discovery; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D057766:Policy; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents