The Breakpoint Dilemma

As antibiotic resistance increases over the years, originally established susceptibility breakpoints (S-I-R) are becoming less relevant.   This ‘creep’ towards higher MICs over time is a unique but well-known feature of antimicrobials ultimately making these drugs obsolete. In the past, FDA and CLSI did not bother to update breakpoints in Continue reading The Breakpoint Dilemma→

So Many HCV “Guidelines”: Can’t We Wait Till the Dust Has Settled?

It was clear from the outset that the new roster of HCV drugs would change the playing field. Gilead’s NS5B polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir and J&J’s NS3/4A protease inhibitor simeprevir have already revolutionized the treatment paradigm, pushing telaprevir and boceprevir, the first-generation PIs, to the sidelines. For treatment-naïve patients with GT1, Continue reading So Many HCV “Guidelines”: Can’t We Wait Till the Dust Has Settled?→

The War about Data Access

Several articles in the April 7 issue of BMJ were devoted to the epic battle fought by BMJ and Cochrane to gain unfettered access to the Tamiflu® and Relenza® data. Not just some data, but all the data. Considering that only 2 out of 10 Tamiflu studies were published in Continue reading The War about Data Access→