DoD takes lead on finding drugs to fight superbugs

[nitpicker]

http://www.navytimes.com/article/20140831/NEWS/308310021/DoD-takes-lead-finding-drugs-fight-superbugs

DoD takes lead on finding drugs to fight superbugs
Aug. 31, 2014 - 06:00AM |
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer


With very few antibiotics in development at major pharmaceutical companies, the Pentagon is stepping in to support research to combat the growing threat of “superbugs” — bacteria that can’t be stopped with current medications.

(snip)
The threat to readiness and emerging issues worldwide with drug-resistant microbes are leading DoD to spend more than $40 million a year to support research and development of vaccines or medications to treat the germs.

(snip)
Lesho said “Big Pharma” has no incentives to study and pursue this issue because it lacks the potential to create high profit margins.

One recent research initiative jump-started with Pentagon funding is a vaccine for the norovirus, the hard-to-kill germ that afflicts cruise ships and can send entire units running to the latrines.

(snip)
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is set to publish a report that likely will create a task force on antibiotic resistance and call for germ genome sequencing as well as incentives for drug firms to invest in research.

(snip)
The Pentagon also is taking a close look at anti-fungal treatments. In 2010, the rate of fungal infections in trauma cases among U.S. troops reached 3.5 percent.

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The Trauma and Infectious Disease Outcomes Study, underway at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, is following service members who were injured or sickened during the recent wars.

(snip)

[TwilightGardener]

1. Good on the DoD for this.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. big pharma also sidelines promising drugs

when they deem the potential demand to be too small.

Vioxx says it all. They spent more than 1.4 Billion on advertising, they still made profits of $1.5 billion and they knew that it would kill people while not work any better than existing pain meds.

Total research on Vioxx? several million.