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Future bleak for new antibiotic development
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 Christopher N. Ta |
CHICAGO — The field of medicine in general, and ophthalmology in particular, has seen a dramatic slowdown in the development of novel antibiotics, and the immediate future appears to offer no real promise.
According to Christopher N. Ta, MD, reduced government and industry interest coupled with increasing regulatory scrutiny has slowed the development of new antibiotics precisely at a time in history when resistant pathogens are proliferating.
Although several issues have contributed to the slowdown, cost of development is a limiting factor, Dr. Ta said here at the Cornea Subspecialty Day prior to the joint meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology.
"It is estimated that the cost of a new antibiotic coming to market is between $400 and $800 million," he said. "Once they get to market, they must compete with existing antibiotics that are often cheaper."
Of nine antibiotic agents approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration since 1996, only two have offered a novel mechanism of action. Even more troubling, Dr. Ta said, is that of the listed new molecular entities in development that have been made public by the world's seven largest biotech firms, only one is an antibiotic agent.
Antibiotic alternatives, such as bacteriophages and the targeting of non-multiplying bacteria, may need to be explored in greater earnest to stem the tide of microbial resistance; further, it is incumbent on ophthalmology to develop ocular formulations from the existing catalogue of systemic antibiotic agents, Dr. Ta said.
"The challenge to us will be to make sure those formulations are stable enough for use," he said.