Rates Of Bacterial Drug Resistance Rising Rapidly Europe: K. Pneumoniae From 7% To 15% In 5 Years

[hatrack]

LONDON (Reuters) - Europe set out plans to boost research into the neglected area of antibiotics on Thursday by promising to accelerate approval of new drugs, while ensuring adequate prices for their makers and promoting industry-wide R&D.

Multi-drug resistant bacteria, or so-called superbugs, are a growing threat across Europe, with rates of drug resistance in one type of bacteria reaching 50 percent in the worst-hit countries, according to health officials. But the medicine chest for new antibiotics is practically empty, following a decision by many large drug makers to exit what has become an unprofitable area of research.

EDIT

"We need to declare a war -- a war against these bacteria," the ECDC's director Marc Sprenger told Reuters. Sprenger said that across Europe rates of resistance to last-line antibiotics by a bacteria called Klebsiella pneumoniae had more than doubled to 15 percent by 2010 from around 7 percent five years ago.

"What's even more worrying is that there's a great diversity among different countries in Europe -- and some countries have resistance of almost 50 percent," he said. K. pneumoniae is a common cause of pneumonia, urinary tract, and bloodstream infections in hospital patients. The superbug form is resistant even to a class of medicines called carbapenems, the most powerful known antibiotics, which are usually reserved by doctors as a last line of defense.

EDIT

http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/sns-rt-us-antibiotic-superbugs-europetre7ag0va-20111117,0,6666257.story

[shraby]

1. When are they going to develop new types of antbiotics to

combat the problem?

[Maine_Nurse]

2. Part of the problem is...

that there isn't a ton of money in antibiotics for the pharma companies. Antibiotics are taken for a week or two once in a while. Drugs that target lifelong chronic ailments like arthritis or high cholesterol are where the money, thus the research are.

[hatrack]

3. IOW, do companies really want to spend $$$$ on drugs to battle malaria, bilharzia or MDR staph?

No, they want drugs that help rich old people look young, grow hair or fuck.

[shraby]

4. I know there are tons of plant substances that were collected

in S. America and other parts of the world with properties that can be developed. Must be they are just sitting on them waiting for the situation to get desparate so they can ask what they want for the drugs. Read about the collection activities way back in the 1970s.