U.S. pipeline bone dry for new antibiotics

Even as the demand for new antibiotics grows, new research programs to advance fresh therapies have been drying up fast. While existing antibiotics steadily weaken against the onslaught of some scary strains of bacteria, developers have been turning away from the field, says a new report on the San Francisco Chronicle. Back in the '80s, 16 antibiotics were approved over a 5-year stretch. But in the last five years, only five have been approved by the FDA.

The Chronicle concludes that it's basically the result of economics. Developers are drawn more to chronic diseases that offer huge, ongoing returns rather than the occasional user who needs antibiotics for a week or two. At the same time, lawmakers took out a fresh set of incentives in the FDA reauthorization bill last fall that would have made it easier for antibiotic developers to extend legal safeguards against generic competition. To sum up: Don't look for this trend to change anytime soon.

- see the report
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