PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 522 - 24 Feb 2007

Paving the way for renewedantibacterial R&D

The antibacterial R&D business is in the midst of an"unglamorous comeback", according to an article inNature Biotechnology.1 This revival is "born as muchfrom medical necessity as business opportunity", thearticle adds.

Recent years have witnessed a "marked slowdown" inthe development of new antibacterials, comment MartinKatz and associates.2 Accordingly, there have been fewpatent applications filed with the US Patent andTrademark Office (USPTO) for new antibacterials, andfewer patents issuing from these applications, they note.Indeed, it appears that pharma companies are "losinginterest in these drugs", Mr Katz and associates contend.

Among the pharma industry, there is "nearly palpable"disappointment over the failure of genomics and high-throughput screening to produce the breakthroughsthey "seemed to promise", says the NatureBiotechnology article.1 These failures have served as areminder of "just how difficult it is" to develop new,useful antibacterials, the article suggests. Nonetheless,some pharma companies continue in search of genuinebreakthroughs, while some "persist along a pathway thatis marked by more incremental progress", commentsthe article.

The rise in antibacterial resistance has made it"crucial" that new antibacterials be developed, sayMr Katz and associates.2 To this end, some of IDSA*’srecommendations seem advisable, such as simplifyingthe US FDA’s approval process for antibacterials,granting priority antibacterials accelerated reviewprocess, and "providing financial incentives tocompanies engaged in antibiotic research", theycontend.* Infectious Disease Society of America

1. Fox JL. The business of developing antibacterials. Nature Biotechnology 24:1521-1528, No. 12, Dec 2006.

2. Katz ML, et al. Where have all the antibiotic patents gone? NatureBiotechnology 24: 1529-1531, No. 12, Dec 2006.

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PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes News 24 Feb 2007 No. 5221173-5503/10/0522-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved