Cameron review to tackle drug discovery

In an effort to accelerate the discovery of new antibiotics, Prime Minister David Cameron has commissioned an independent review to explore to issues surrounding antimicrobial resistance.

No new antibiotic drugs have been commercially introduced in over 25 years, meaning growing numbers of bacterial and viral infections are resistant to today’s medicines.

“If we fail to act, we are looking at an almost unthinkable scenario

David Cameron

“Resistance to antibiotics is now a very real and worrying threat, as bacteria mutate to become immune to their effects,” Cameron said.

According to government statistics, this growing threat takes the lives of up to 25,000 per year in Europe alone.

However, bringing new drugs to market can cost anywhere up to £1 billion in a process that can take 12 years - if drugs pass initial development phases.

The Prime Minister’s review, which will be led by economist Jim O’Neill, will set out a plan for encouraging and accelerating the discovery and development of new generations of antibiotics.

The review will also examine issues such as increased international cooperation, and will look at how governments and other funders can stimulate investment in new antimicrobials, as well as timeframes and mechanisms for effective implementation.

“If we fail to act, we are looking at an almost unthinkable scenario where antibiotics no longer work and we are cast back into the dark ages of medicine where treatable infections and injuries will kill once again,” Cameron added.

The review will present its initial findings during 2015 with a final report and recommendations to then follow during 2016.

Fortunately, novel approaches to antibiotic resistance are beginning to gather pace - especially within the UK.

Last month, LaboratoryTalk reported on a group of researchers that have claimed to have made a breakthrough in the race to solve antibiotic resistance.

Scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) say they have discovered an “Achilles heel” in the defensive barrier which surrounds drug-resistant bacterial cells.

The UEA scientists have suggested the findings could pave the way for the development of drugs that are capable of eliminating superbugs by bringing down their defensive walls, rather than attacking the bacteria itself.

Similarly, a further group of UEA researchers is attempting to use a colony of leafcutter ants to help solve the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.

“We hope that these leafcutter ants will help us solve antibiotic resistance and provide us with the next generation of drugs,” said UEA lead researcher Matt Hutchings.

“They love to eat a particular kind of fungus, which the worker ants protect using natural antibiotics produced by bacteria on their bodies. They’re basically using antibiotics as weed killers to help their fungus gardens grow.”

However, getting these potential drugs to market will take more than ten years under current practices - assuming they are viable, that is.