Game Changers in Infectious Disease

[curiouslady1]

I thought that some would find this interesting, not only for the piece on HepC but also for the developments with regard to other infectious diseases that are going on at the same time.  I believe you will have to join this site to get the information.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/751959

[Juttutin]

If the market appears, I'm sure the drugs will, albeit a decade or two later.  But the incredible increases in genetic and cell biology from the current focus on anti-viral research means that different approaches and targeted bacteria-specific drugs should be much more achievable.  

At the moment, disease-resistant bacteria don't compare to viruses like HCV and HIV (or novel flu strains) for societal impact.   But they do make for good headlines, precisely because it sounds scary.

[curiouslady1]

Scary to think that we could kick HepC and then pick up some resistant bacteria for which pharma is not making any drugs.  

[Aaron57]

Thanks for the article CL ,

Here's what I found interesting ....

Why Is This a Game Changer?

Resistance is the "elephant in the room" in the field of infectious diseases. Everyone in hospital practice is well aware of the issue, but now the future appears to be particularly ominous. We have always had the problem of resistance, as a result of antibiotic use and Mendelian laws, but in the past we have been bailed out by the production of new antibiotics.

Pharmaceutical companies are no longer interested in antibiotic development and production for a variety of reasons, mostly economic.

As one pharmaceutical executive told me: "You take an antibiotic for 1-2 weeks but you take a statin for a lifetime. What would you make?"

"Decisions about who to treat must take into account the stage of the patient's disease because it is likely that the newer drugs that are anticipated for 2012-2013 will more effective, less toxic, and possibly less expensive."

One can only hope they are more effective and less expensive !