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Restarting the Antibiotic Pipeline

Restarting the Antibiotic Pipeline: Episode 2

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Episode 2

BBC Radio 4 - Restarting the Antibiotic Pipeline, Episode 2

The world needs new antibiotics, but drug companies do not want to make them. What to do?

A global antibiotic resistance crisis looms, but antibiotics drugs do not make pharma the profits that other medicines do. Roland Pease looks for ways to avert a medical dark age.

Infectious bacteria are becoming resistant to the drugs that used to kill them. The last new class of antibiotics was discovered in the 1980s. There is little in the development pipelines of the world's pharmaceutical industry. Drug companies got out of antibiotics as their attention switched to much more lucrative daily medicines for chronic diseases. Public funding on antibiotic research has also withered. 

Now that the gathering crisis of antibiotic resistance is becoming recognised by politicians, what are the options? Roland Pease explores how business, academia and governments might work together to avert a return to the medical dark ages.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Roland Pease examines how an increasing number of antibiotics are failing.

Roland Pease examines how bacteria are developing resistance to an increasing number of antibiotics and asks where the new drugs are that would prevent a return to the medical dark ages.

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Restarting the Antibiotic Pipeline

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