Antibiotic Resistance 2013 A Global Market Study

Wednesday 29 May 2013, Amsterdam

Threats posed by the global increase in antibiotic resistant bacterial strains continue to cause alarm, and some observers suggest that this problem is threatening to take societies back to a pre-antibiotic era. However, the last five years have seen important changes in practices, innovation and attitudes, in response to this growing threat. Biopharm Reports has recently carried out a global market study of antibiotic resistance, to identify the changing developments and managements strategies that are taking place, and the opportunities these offer to developers in this field.

Biopharm Reports has recently carried out a global market study of antibiotics resistance, to identifying the changes that are taking place in the ‘antibiotic resistance market’ and the opportunities these present to developers in this field. This global study involved the participation of 652 clinicians, scientists, researchers and Government officials in 80 countries and provides a comprehensive overview of current and evolving practices, developments and strategies and their importance in the combating and management of antibiotic resistance.

This report provides a wealth of information for companies and Government departments working in this field, and through a detailed analysis of the study’s findings, identifies commercial opportunities and provides insights, which will help to guide decision-making in this challenging field.

While the emergence of MRSA has embodied concerns over the rise of antibiotic resistance, other trends are becoming increasingly problematic. An example is the emergence of carbapenem resistance in K. pneumonia, due to a lack of alternative treatment options. Reports from the US suggest that 50–60% of all hospital-acquired infections are caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria, illustrating the human and financial impact of antibiotic resistance.  In 2009, the World Health Organisation reported that in Europe 25,000 people die every year from drug-resistant infections. In the same year there were 440,000 new cases of MDR tuberculosis, in 69 countries.

Although the use of antibiotics has soared in recent decades, the approval of new antibiotics in the US fell by 60% from 30 during the decade 1983 to 1992, to just 12 over the period 1998 to 2009. Although recent years have seen a significant growth in the numbers and novelty of new pipeline antibiotics, it is evident that the health threats posed by antibiotic resistance need to be tackled urgently, and in many different ways.

The last five years have seen important changes in practices, innovation and attitudes in response to these growing threats. These are driving innovation in drug discovery and diagnostics, but more importantly, in clinical practices and the ways in which antibiotics are being used. There is also increasing local and international surveillance to monitor the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant strains, and local integrated practices, antimicrobial stewardship programs and more effective diagnostic methods are being pushed forward, in an effort to ensure the most appropriate and effective use of antibiotics. These developments offer new opportunities for developers in this field, both in drug discovery and in diagnostics.