As president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and a physician of infectious diseases, I am greatly encouraged by the launch of the Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X; see Nature http://doi.org/bp7x; 2016). Contrary to your implication, this public–private partnership is designed to foster antibiotic discovery as well as preclinical antibiotic development (see www.carb-x.org). Physicians who treat the increasing numbers of people with infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms know at first hand the urgent need for novel antibiotics.
Most pharmaceutical companies have been retreating from antibiotic research and development (R&D) over the past few decades because of economic, regulatory and scientific hurdles. Fresh incentives are needed to stimulate and support all stages of antibiotic R&D if new drugs are to be discovered and brought to market in a timely fashion. CARB-X can play an important part in this broader effort, which must also include other economic and regulatory incentives that are currently under consideration in the US Congress.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bakken, J. Antibiotic partners promote discovery. Nature 537, 167 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/537167b
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/537167b