Back to the dark ages?

It’s interesting, although of course to be expected that despite persistant warnings from medical experts, it takes a few words from David Cameron to make the media take note of the issues we all face regarding antibiotics. In recent weeks the press has highlighted the increasing issues of antibiotic resistance and the fact that we have failed to develop replacement drugs to act against the infections and illnesses we have become so used to using antibiotics against as cures.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued a warning that we could be on the verge of seeing common infections and minor injuries kill – illnesses we have been treating until recently, successfully with antibiotics. WHO called for urgent action and the UK’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, agreed, warning that the era of modern medicine is coming to an end unless we do something about antibiotic drugs. Alarmingly, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control estimates that antimicrobial resistance results in 25,000 deaths a year.

With terms such as ‘catastrophic effect’, ‘the implications will be devastating’ and talk of going back to the ‘dark ages of medicine’ being used, it’s hard for us all not to sit up and take notice. And of course, having the prime minister enter into the debate does help to bring the gravity of the situation to the fore.

Whether or not we should be surprised that we have reached this point with antibiotics is one issue. For years, we have come to expect doctors to hand out these drugs for a whole host of complaints, without really thinking about it. Indeed, as a parent I regularly hear others bemoaning their GP as they have been sent away empty-handed to fight an infection naturally. Antibiotics have also managed to enter the food chain in a bid to keep animals healthy. These actions clearly have consequences – ones which we are now having to address.

Channel Four recently reported that back in 1928 when Alexander Fleming invented penicillin, he warned that bacteria would grow resistant. When this happened, synthetic penicillins were created which again, faced the same problem. The next generation was modified further – the carbapenems – but once again, these began to face problems against certain microbes. Increasing numbers of doctors cut down on the number of antibiotics they prescribed but, reported the news programme, this ‘backfired’ as pharmaceutical companies, realising they wouldn’t make any money developing new antibiotics, stopped doing so.

Laura Piddock, professor of microbiology at the University of Birmingham and chair of Antibiotic Action, told Channel 4 News: "The main concern is we keep talking and talking - but we have to start implementing the recommendations made by doctors and scientists,” describing the situation as a ‘market failure’ and that action is needed.

So where do we go from here and what role do pharmaceutical companies have to play in developing drugs which future-proof us against illness we have thought of as so easy to treat? Cameron is pushing forward an initiative which will examine the development of antibiotics and regulatory issues. It will discuss drug-resistant strains as well as the issues we have with over-use of these medicines.

Of course, this is a way forward but I would be keen to know how the pharmaceutical companies view this initiative – is it too little too late? Where is your role and indeed your voice in  this matter? Is it unfair to expect the sector to develop drugs which might not be prescribed – after all drug manufacture has to be profitable? And what would the industry like to see happen to encourage the development of antibiotics whilst protecting the business interests of drug manufacturers? Get in touch.

Lu Rahman