From John Playfair, Emeritus professor of immunology, UCL Medical School
It is unsurprising that bacterial resistance, cost-effectiveness and patent restrictions are strangling the development of new conventional antibiotics (16 March, p 6). What needs to be heard above the groans is that several different approaches are being investigated, often with little funding.
Bactericidal bacteriophages, RNA interference and the small peptides of the innate immune system are just three avenues of exploration largely written off during the antibiotic golden age, any one of which might, in time, lead to a second golden age.
A solution to some of the problems of antibiotic misuse would be to ensure that they are only available as single-dose, slow-release formulations delivered by injection – like the kind my dog gets from the vet.
This would resolve the issue of people not taking the full course. An injection would discourage casual use and deter demands for antibiotics for minor illnesses.
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Stocksfield, Northumberland, UK
London, UK
