Interesting article but I am concerned about two things
First the comment ““Because new drugs will not need to enter the bacteria itself, we hope that the bacteria will not be able to develop drug resistance in future.”” seems incredibly naive coming from a scientist who should know better. That’s not how resistance works. A drug does not need to enter the bacteria to exert selective pressure. As long as a mutation is available somewhere in the trillions of individuals that make up a population of bacteria the same selective pressures that lead to resistance in all bacteria will eventually lead to resistance with this drug. These sorts of claims have been made before when other new antibiotics were developed that worked through novel mechanisms and they have all been proven wrong.
The second thing that concerns me is that these scientists should know better than anyone that the solution to antibiotic resistance does not lie in developing better antibiotics. It lies in taking better care of the ones we have. The vast majority of antibiotics that are used, are used unnecessarily for conditions that don’t respond to antibiotics ( colds, bronchitis, sinus congestion). Huge amounts are also used in farm animals which end up in the food supply and ultimately in our bodies. Until these issues are addressed we will quickly see resistance to any new antibiotic that is developed.
Interesting article but I am concerned about two things First the comment ""Because new drugs will not need to enter the bacteria itself, we hope that the bacteria will not be able to develop drug resistance in future."" seems incredibly naive coming from a scientist who should know better. That's not how resistance works. A drug does not need to enter the bacteria to exert selective pressure. As long as a mutation is available somewhere in the trillions of individuals that make up a population of bacteria the same selective pressures that lead to resistance in all bacteria will eventually lead to resistance with this drug. These sorts of claims have been made before when other new antibiotics were developed that worked through novel mechanisms and they have all been proven wrong. The second thing that concerns me is that these scientists should know better than anyone that the solution to antibiotic resistance does not lie in developing better antibiotics. It lies in taking better care of the ones we have. The vast majority of antibiotics that are used, are used unnecessarily for conditions that don't respond to antibiotics ( colds, bronchitis, sinus congestion). Huge amounts are also used in farm animals which end up in the food supply and ultimately in our bodies. Until these issues are addressed we will quickly see resistance to any new antibiotic that is developed.Silly macgyver...how are the drug companies supposed to make money by recommending their products NOT be used unnecessarily? I believe at one point in history drug companies were in the business of helping people first, then making a profit second as a result of helping people more effectively than the next guy. Not anymore.
That may be true but this announcement did not come from a drug company. It came from a group of researchers at Norwich Medical School in the United Kingdom. I can understand their enthusiasm but do not agree with the way they publicized the story with an over abundance of exuberance and a complete absence of caveats.
It undermines all our efforts to control antibiotics misuse by implying there is a savior on the way that is going to solve everything. It implies the problem is a lack of the right kind of drug instead of an overuse of the wonder drugs we already have. If this antibiotic ever reaches the market and is publicized in the same irresponsible way it could set back antibiotic control efforts for years.
I agree with you, Mac, but it is possible that the reporters pseudo-quoted the scientists in an effort to a) make things more dramatic, b) shorten the article, c) state what they didn’t understand.
Occam
Yeah I should have thought of that but reporters don;t really do that sort of thing do they ?
Of course not, especially on Fox News. :lol:
Occam