Antibiotic Inhalers Galore (Part 1):  More Combinations and Permutations than a Rubik’s Cube

There is much interest in inhaled antibiotics these days.  Prima facie, the logic for this approach is compelling: Getting the antibiotic (and a lot of it) directly to the site of infection, while avoiding systemic toxicity, sounds like optimized efficacy plus optimized safety combined.  However, some high-profile failures were published Continue reading Antibiotic Inhalers Galore (Part 1):  More Combinations and Permutations than a Rubik’s Cube

Progress Report: New Antibacterials In the Fight against MDR Bacteria

Since the beginning of this millennium we have seen antibiotic R&D dwindle year after year. There are many reasons for this; while economics are often cited for this decline, the FDA and the ‘Guideline Wars’, i.e., those never ending discussions about regulatory requirements, have contributed to this trend in a Continue reading Progress Report: New Antibacterials In the Fight against MDR Bacteria

The Brave New World of Infectious Diseases

Coming back from ECCMID, one gets the impression that we are moving towards an era in which we can diagnose everything but treat nothing. A late breaker session on colistin resistance provided much detail data on the situation in the EU. As we know, colistin resistance conferred by the mcr-1 gene has Continue reading The Brave New World of Infectious Diseases