Drug & Device News

Speaking to a group of infectious disease experts in Copenhagen, the World Health Organization's (WHO) director general, Margaret Chan, warned that worldwide resistance to antibiotics is rising, to the point that common illnesses and injuries may once again become lethal. While it has long been known that bacteria, like other living things, develop resistance over time to those substances that threaten their survival, it is becoming more apparent that the popularity of antibiotics has accelerated this process in bacteria that infect humans. Pharmaceutical companies push antibiotics on the public and medical professionals, seeing them as money-makers. Patients demand them. Doctors are known to prescribe them even when unsure if a bacterial infection is present, “Just to be safe.” Patients often fail to take the full course of antibiotic treatment, leaving drug-resistant bacteria in their systems. And livestock treated with antibiotics are consumed by humans, who then ingest pathogens that have developed drug resistance when they eat a pork chop or hamburger. In a WHO release announcing the publication of a new book on the subject, “The Evolving Threat of Antimicrobial Resistance ' Options for Action,” Dr. Cho stated, “In terms of new replacement antibiotics, the pipeline is virtually dry. But much can be done. This includes prescribing antibiotics appropriately and only when needed, following treatment correctly, restricting the use of antibiotics in food production to therapeutic purposes and tackling the problem of substandard and counterfeit medicines.” See www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2012/amr_20120308/en/index.html