The diminished antimicrobial pipeline
Mark AT Blaskovich
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia
Email: m.blaskovich@uq.edu.au
Microbiology Australia 40(2) 92-96 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA19025
Published: 18 April 2019
Abstract
Australians love antibiotics, with one of the highest rates of human antibiotic usage in the world. Unfortunately, they are being loved to death, as high rates of inappropriate use, both here and around the globe, are contributing to the rise of drug-resistant bacteria against which our current arsenal of antibiotics is becoming increasingly ineffective. In the past, advancements in developing new antibiotics kept pace with developing resistance, but we are now facing a deadly reality where the pipeline of ‘new and improved' antibiotics is rapidly drying up. There are a number of global initiatives attempting to reprime the pipeline, but the exit of major pharmaceutical companies from antibiotic research and the poor financial performance of antibiotic-focused biotechnology companies continues.
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