Post Anti-Biotic Age

Phage · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:49

Per the BBC story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-34857015

This is why I chose this name. I'm looing forward to the new phage therapies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy

And possibly the new drugs from the soil

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30657486

Do we have anyone in the field ? I'd be very interested to know whether we can control the rise of resistance. Or where they think we're going to go next.

ikillbears · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:51

wondered when a thread about this would pop up. not being an expert at all in the field, i can imagine though if nothing is done about this it could really change things

tom_e · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:52

Phage said:
Do we have anyone in the field ? I'd be very interested to know whether we can control the rise of resistance. Or where they think we're going to go next.

Only by using less and/or creating new ones but Drs love to dish them out because it means the irritating people who think they're dying when they've just got a cold will go away because they've now got some pills and drug companies don't want to pour the money into something that won't be a massive money spinner.

Diddums · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:52

The soil is the cure for everything man.

Everything.

Man.

Phage · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:52

IMHO more important than Daeesh by a long shot

Phage · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:54

tom_e said:
Only by using less and/or creating new ones but Drs love to dish them out because it means the irritating people who think they're dying when they've just got a cold will go away because they've now got some pills and drug companies don't want to pour the money into something that won't be a massive money spinner.

There is £10m from the Longitude Prize

https://longitudeprize.org/challenge/antibiotics

platypus · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:56

Phage said:
There is £10m from the Longitude Prize

https://longitudeprize.org/challenge/antibiotics

Complete peanuts to pharmaceutical companies.

tom_e · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:56

Phage said:
There is £10m from the Longitude Prize

https://longitudeprize.org/challenge/antibiotics

That's a drop in the ocean compared to the sort of money drug companies spend on R&D though.

Phage · 19 Nov 2015 at 16:57

Probably - but I can't believe there's no money in a new anti-biotic

Glaucus · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:01

Phage said:
There is £10m from the Longitude Prize

https://longitudeprize.org/challenge/antibiotics

Absolutely nothing in the terms of drug development,
For tiny companies doing a one off drug it's about $350mill to get that to market, for the massive pharmaceuticals that can go as high as $5.5billion. Due to the sheer number of drugs that fail at some point, often at human trial stage.

Basically the companies look for multiple drugs and get multiple drugs approved are doing insane amounts if research most often which fail. And it doesn't take into account the cost of all the small one off companies that fail and go bankrupt.

It should be a criminal offence for Drs to prescribe medicine when not needed with a very high deterrent.

However new drugs and ways will be found, there's lots of interesting routes.

The high cost is why big pharma like GKS is going back to old drugs that have all ready passed human trials on safety and seeing if they work for unrelated issues. As its far cheaper and easy.

Avenged7Fold · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:01

It doesn't create new customers but costs money to develop. There is little in it for these companies.

MooMoo444 · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:03

World is approaching (arguably already is) overpopulation. Bugs to help control it is honestly not as bad as it is made out.

Phage · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:08

MooMoo444 said:
World is approaching (arguably already is) overpopulation. Bugs to help control it is honestly not as bad as it is made out.

You first.

ADT · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:09

Companies still have unreleased antibiotics that can be used until we can discover something better.

Phage · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:15

ADT said:
Companies still have unreleased antibiotics that can be used until we can discover something better.

Really ? Have you got a link or evidence for that ?

Roar87 · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:23

MooMoo444 said:
World is approaching (arguably already is) overpopulation. Bugs to help control it is honestly not as bad as it is made out.

You can explain that to partners and small children when their wife/mother dies after child birth from an infection then

Glaucus · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:25

MooMoo444 said:
World is approaching (arguably already is) overpopulation. Bugs to help control it is honestly not as bad as it is made out.

People have been saying that for thousands of years, it's not and not even close to being over populated. Technology will continue to move forward which will allow ever increasing populations. The entire world is better off now then any other time in history.

Eurofighter · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:25

MooMoo444 said:
World is approaching (arguably already is) overpopulation. Bugs to help control it is honestly not as bad as it is made out.

Bit harsh.

There should be less antibiotics prescribed. We are getting better at handing them out only when needed. Hopefully it wont be too late.

There are a lot of countries a lot worse for this than the UK. Usually poor ones. In India you can buy antibiotics over the counter. But they can't afford doctors and antibiotics save lives.

fatiain · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:32

ADT said:
Companies still have unreleased antibiotics that can be used until we can discover something better.

No, really they don't.

Avenged7Fold · 19 Nov 2015 at 17:33

Buying them over the counter though isnt really to blame. I dont think there isnt the same sort of medicine culture over there (not that i agree with being able to purchase them over the counter).

The main issue what has been mentioned; the handing out of anti-biotics just to appease the average person who walks in. If you walk into a doctors complaining about a chest infection, they normally hand you something like amoxicillin knowing full well that only a very small portion of these infections are caused by bacteria and viral chest infections would be unaffected.

This mixed with the growing fear of vaccination is my concern. Mass vaccination grows less effective in preventing the spread of the disease as less people are willing to let their children get vaccinated. Then people get ill and walk into a doctors who just hand them antibiotics like they just asked for a pez!