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Pharmaceutical firms commit US$1 billion to antibiotic development
Twenty-four large and medium-sized pharmaceutical firms are backing a US$1 billion fund to steward antibiotics through phase II and III trials. Can they also break an antibiotic reimbursement impasse?
Antibiotic drug development is stuck in a rut. For decades, drug developers have been wary of the lack of a sustainable market for these life-saving drugs. Payers, meanwhile, have yet to figure out a reimbursement model that can entice drug developers to work in this space. Industry, as a result, has largely exited antibiotic R&D, and the pipeline for much needed antibiotics against multidrug-resistant bacteria is drying up. Now, in an attempt to change course, 24 pharmaceutical companies have launched a US$1 billion fund dedicated to antibiotic development.