Re:New antibiotic kills off persistent infections
by Fomite on Thursday November 14, 2013 @12:47PM
(#6733855)
And yet in a recent survey of drug development costs, "Difficid", by Optimer Pharmaceuticals, was one of the most inexpensive to develop.
I also really don't buy the "return on investment" argument, as curing a bacterial disease rarely provides immunity.
It's also not my experience as a researcher in the area - several drug companies are actively funding research.
Re:New antibiotic kills off persistent infections
by giarc on Thursday November 14, 2013 @03:59PM
(#6735525)
Fidaxo also may not be that great or cost effective[1]. Optimer, I believe has been bought by Cubist and delisted from Nasdaq. 1. Clin Infect Dis. 2013 Aug;57(4):555-61
Re:New antibiotic kills off persistent infections
by Fomite on Thursday November 14, 2013 @04:19PM
(#6735655)
I do know their most promising findings don't get reflected in clinical trials well. But "The Drug Companies aren't there" isn't addressed by a small drug company specializing in ID getting bought about by another drug company that has tons of ID products for half a billion dollars.
I think your assessment that my argument is "wrong" is inappropriate. You'll see that my argument is supported by the WHO (Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2011;89:88–89).
>Another reason is commercial. Antibiotics, in particular, have a poor return on investment because they are taken for a short period of time and cure their target disease. In contrast, drugs that treat chronic illness, such as high blood pressure, are taken daily for the rest of a patient’s life. “Companies have figured out that they make a lot more money selling the latter drugs than they do selling antibiotics,” Spellberg says, highlighting the lack of incentive for companies to develop antibiotics.