Basically Pfizer, one of the last companies working on antibiotics for gram-negative bacteria, pulled out due to pressure from shareholders, because there's little money to be made here. You spend billions of dollars on creating an antibiotic, and upon its release the recommended instruction is to "use it as less as possible"? -- there's no money in that obviously, there's more money in cholesterol drugs, ADHD drugs, and other drugs you'll continue taking for a long long time.
I feel bad to steer the discussion this way -- but this it, this perfectly underscores one of the scary faults of capitalism. Everyone wants to see a nice smooth growth curve. Growth is prioritized higher than long-term stability of society. We need to fundamentally re-think this.
It's not hard for the FDA to streamline approval process so that development costs are lowered or for them to offer extended periods of market exclusivity so that costs can be recouped over a longer period of time.
The FDA has already moved on the regulatory aspect and companies have responded. Antibacterials is a much more attractive market now than it was 5 years ago.
Then I left and lost track of it all. Wikipedia now says it's 100USD / pill.
If there's really a lot of resistance to Linezolid, that would be quite shocking.
In my project there was a lot more MRSA in "poorer" parts of the country, in hospitals with lower hygiene standards. Hospitals also refused to report their MRSA stats ("it doesn't exist here", not wanting to be known as a place where it's found since it is related to hygiene).
Interesting stuff.
If a company is going to spend a decade and a billion attempting to develop a "management" antibiotic for continual profit, I'm willing to bet the profit motive exists for another company to make a normal antibiotic... that most doctors would happily prescribe over the ridiculous multi-year option...
It's a big risk and I doubt some company will attempt to make a maintenance drug out of antibiotics.
Unless you're implying that profit motive means they simply won't try because it's not insulin or something, which is ridiculous. Profit motive... there is profit to be made in a new antibiotic, there's the motive. Not every pharma company will just let money sit on the table in favor of older drugs nearing the end of patent protection.
I've actual found there's a fair amount of interest in antibiotic development among drug companies.
Not if you get killed by an infection first.