SuperbugsTackling the Problem of Antimicrobial Resistance

Published 8 January 2020

The CDC recently announced in its latest report that each year 2.8 million Americans are infected with a drug-resistant organism, and that 35,000 of them would later die. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is not new, though, and the problem has been growing for decades, but now it seems that we’re starting to truly take it seriously.

The CDC recently announced in its latest report that each year 2.8 million Americans are infected with a drug-resistant organism, and that 35,000 of them would later die.

The Pandora Report writesthat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is not new, though, and that the problem has been growing for decades. But now “it seems that we’re starting to truly take it seriously.”

From rivers to traveling patients, it is difficult to escape resistant microbes. Among the tactics employed to deal with this problem are new efforts to invigorate surveillance and reporting, stewardship initiatives, and even addressing the drying pipeline of antibiotics. The New York Times notes that the problem of the drying pipeline is perhaps the most damning, as – big pharma has all but fled the antibiotic R&D field and those start-ups courageous enough to try, are increasingly falling upon financial ruin.

“Antibiotic start-ups like Achaogen and Aradigm have gone belly up in recent months, pharmaceutical behemoths like Novartis and Allergan have abandoned the sector and many of the remaining American antibiotic companies are teetering toward insolvency,” the Times reports.

It is no wonder that there is hesitation among investors to invest in antibiotic R&D. There are calls for government intervention to help address the push-pull dynamics of antibiotic development. Chen Yu, a health care venture capitalist who has invested in the field, noted that “If this doesn’t get fixed in the next six to 12 months, the last of the Mohicans will go broke and investors won’t return to the market for another decade or two.”

Pandora Reportsays that another component is the heavy push on stewardship and prescribing practices, which often makes hospitals and providers weary about using new antimicrobials. Adding to this sentiment, Dr. Rick Bright, BARDA Director and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, wrote on the need for better diagnostics for resistant infections. Bright shares his own experiences with a simple-turned-complex infection which required several antibiotics. From delays in diagnostics and treatment, to being on six antibiotics, this is a telling personal account of what it is like to have a resistant infection and the inherent limits of existing diagnostics.

“The gardening incident gave me personal insight into the many challenges that confront medical professionals and every patient fighting a resistant infection” Bright says. “I am more committed than ever to overcoming this challenge, to identifying solutions, and to partnering with private sector to get ahead of antimicrobial resistant infections and protect our nation’s health security. I hope more potential industry partners will look closely at the problem and join me by partnering through programs like CARB-XBARDA DRIVe and other BARDA-supported initiatives.”