Drug resistant bugs on the rise – study

According to a report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), drug resistant superbugs such as klebsiella and carbapenem resistant entero-bacteriaceae (CRE) are on an unprecedented rise globally.

“Never has the threat of anti-microbial resistance been more immediate and the need for solutions more urgent,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO.

Declining private investment and lack of innovation in the development of new antibiotics were undermining efforts to combat drug resistant infections, according to the WHO.

“Numerous initiatives are under way to reduce resistance, but we also need countries and the pharmaceutical industry to step up and contribute with sustainable funding and innovative new medicines, “ said Ghebreyesus.

This as two new reports revealed a weak pipeline for antibiotic agents.

The 60 products in development (50 antibiotics and 10 biologics) brought little benefit over existing treatments and very few targeted the most critical resistant bacteria.

Exposure to antibiotics and invasive procedures were the two major risk factors for carbapenem (the last line of antibiotic class available for most bugs) resistance among patients with the Klebsiella superbugs.

This was according to a recently published report by the Chinese government in collaboration with various academic hospitals in China.

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