title: Prospects for new antibacterials: can we do better?
abstract: Bacterial resistance to antibacterial drugs has been increasing relentlessly over the past two decades. This includes common residents of the human body: Staphylococcus aureus (methicillin resistant or MRSA) Enteroccus faecalis and E. faecium (vancomycin resistant or VRE): Enterobacteriaceae (multiresistant, carbapenems included or CRE). It also includes environmental, opportunistic, but intrinsically multiresistant species: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii. Financial considerations have curtailed R&D activity in the antibacterial field in all, but a couple of large pharmaceutical companies and small biotech companies have largely been unable to fill the drug discovery gap. Antibacterials currently under development have targeted, almost exclusively, Gram-positive bacteria; hence, greater effort must be directed against Gram-negative bacteria, particularly enterobacteria. There also has to be more transparency and care in clinical development. To get ahead of the problem of resistance, we must look for first-in-class antibacterials and new targets. The need to innovate is best addressed through partnerships between drug-makers and public institutions. Such partnerships would provide a long-term view and stability to projects, but also balance the interests of corporate and public stakeholders.
authors.affiliation: Anti-infectives & Oncology , PO Box 3176, Princeton, NJ 08543 , USA nafsikag@aya.yale.edu.
authors.forename: Nafsika H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Georgopapadakou
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D055808:Drug Discovery; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents