Pharmaceuticals R&D of Antibiotics are a Financial Disaster; CBCD Proposes a Governmental Agency for the Development of New Antibiotic and Antiviral Drugs
Rochester, NY (PRWEB) November 21, 2013 -- Some scientists blame the pharmaceutical industry for not developing new drugs against drug resistant bacteria (1). However, the CBCD points out that the pharmaceutical industry has little financial incentive to develop such drugs.
Antibiotics are curative. They kill the pathogen (bacteria) that causes the disease. Thus, patients only need to use antibiotics until the bacteria are eliminated and a person is cured. There is no life-long use of the drug, which is typical of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, etc. Investors and pharmaceutical executives know this fact. They understand that “a patient cured, is a customer lost.”
Research published on December 5, 2007 provided evidence for this view. “Antibiotics have a lower relative rate of return on investment than do other drugs. Antibiotics are short course therapies that cure their target disease, and, therefore, are typically taken for no more than 2 weeks. In contrast, chronic diseases are treated with non-curative therapies that suppress symptoms and are required to be taken for the life of the patient. Ironically, antibiotics are victims of their own success; they are less desirable to drug companies and venture capitalists because they are more successful than other drugs.” This is according to a study published in the journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases (2).
This evidence is summarized in the following quote: “a significant portion of the pharmaceutical industry (believes) that antibiotic research and development are not competitively rewarding.” This is according to an article published in 2005 in Nature Reviews (3).
A similar problem exists with viruses. A treatment that eliminates viruses will suffer the same fate as antibiotics. Ten years ago, Dr. Hanan Polansky published a book entitled “Microcompetition with Foreign DNA and the Origin of Chronic Disease,” which discussed how latent viruses cause many of today’s major diseases including, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. The discovery presented in the book was mostly ignored by the pharmaceutical industry.
The CBCD believes that if the public wants new antibiotics, especially against drug resistant bacteria, and effective antiviral medication, especially against latent viruses, they need to look beyond the pharmaceutical industry for an answer.
The CBCD therefore urges the formation of a new business model. This model will harness the power of both the private and public sectors. This will ensure the development of drugs that cure in addition to drugs that treat symptoms.
The Center suggests the establishment of a new government agency called the Agency for Antiviral and Antibiotic Drugs (AAAD), or (3AD). The agency would be dedicated to the development of new antibacterial and antiviral drugs.
The CBCD invites journalists to contact the Center to learn more about these proposals, and how government policy could turn the tide against antibiotic resistant bacteria.
We invite the media to contact us for interviews at: info (at) cbcd.net or phone 585-250-9999.
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References:
(1) Pharmaceuticals 'not doing enough' to develop new antibiotics. Published on November 19, 2013
http://www.theinformationdaily.com/2013/11/19/clinical-trials-to-begin-into-the-very-safe-bacteriophages
(2) The epidemic of antibiotic-resistant infections: a call to action for the medical community from the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Published on January 15, 2008
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18171244
(3) The profit problem in antibiotic R&D. Published in November, 2005.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16247440
The Center for the Biology of Chronic Disease (CBCD, http://www.cbcd.net) is a research center recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-for-profit organization. The mission of the CBCD is to advance the research on the biology of chronic diseases, and to accelerate the discovery of treatments.
The CBCD published the “Purple” book by Dr. Hanan Polansky. The book presents Dr. Polansky’s highly acclaimed scientific theory on the relationship between foreign DNA and the onset of chronic diseases. Dr. Polansky’s book is available as a free download from the CBCD website.
Hanan Polansky, Center for the Biology of Chronic Disease (CBCD), +1 (585) 250-9999, [email protected]
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