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IDSA calls for 10 new antibiotics in 10 years
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The Infectious Diseases Society of America has called on the Obama administration and the European Union to help achieve the goal of bringing to market 10 new antibiotics within the next 10 years.
A new campaign, known as the “10 x ’20 Initiative,” comes on the heels of the WHO declaration that antimicrobial resistance is one of the three greatest threats to human health.
European Union health officials have reported that there are only 15 antibacterial drugs currently in the pipeline that may potentially be more beneficial than existing drugs. Only five of these 15 are in late-stage clinical trials. The IDSA has reported similar findings. History indicates that few of these drugs will make it to market, according to IDSA authorities.
The IDSA also has urged that the current initiative be carried out at the highest levels of government: within the White House — possibly in connection with the President’s Advisory Council on Science and Technology — and in the European Commission.
“We … urge the United States and European Union to establish a specialized ‘antibacterial drug pipeline work group,’ which would be responsible for identifying strategies to motivate antibiotic drug development,” said IDSA President Richard Whitley, MD. “The ‘10 x ’20 Initiative’ must succeed in creating a stable research infrastructure for antibiotic development; otherwise, physicians around the world will be left without the tools they need to effectively treat patients.”
For more information, visit idsociety.org.