Antibacterial agents (antibiotics)

Pactamycin analogues open ‘new frontier’ in anticancer drug development

Researchers are looking at two promising analogues of an old compound with potent antitumour activity, but abandoned because of its toxicity.…

WHO publishes its plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance

New partnerships between the pharmaceutical industry, academia and politicians are needed to generate new antibiotics and other technologies to fight antimicrobial resistance, according to a global action plan approved by the World Health Assembly.…

Development of antibiotics

14 May 2015: Plans have been made for a global research fund for drug firms to develop new antibiotics. The proposals were made in a report by a UK government-appointed review team, which is headed by economist Jim O’Neill. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) spoke to Sky News and BBC …

UK unveils plans to make antibiotic R&D more attractive for the pharmaceutical industry

Pharmaceutical companies could be paid a lump sum to reward them for developing successful new antibiotics under proposals designed to ‘de-link’ the profitability of a new drug from its sales volume and make research and development a viable proposition.…

Impaired kidney function may not justify avoidance of nitrofurantoin

Advice not to use nitrofurantoin to treat patients with urinary tract infections who have impaired kidney function may be unfounded, research suggests.…

Anthelmintic drugs niclosamide and oxyclozanide can target staphylococcal infections

Niclosamide was bacteriostatic whereas oxyclozanide was bacteriocidal when tested in vitro against multi-drug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus.…

Many countries have inadequate plans to tackle antibiotic resistance, WHO finds

Just a quarter of countries around the world have adequate plans in place to combat resistance to antibiotics, a survey by the World Health Organization has found.…

Could an Anglo-Saxon remedy help kill MRSA?

An Anglo-Saxon recipe that combines garlic, leeks, wine and ox gall may be a useful antibacterial agent, writes Pam Mason.…

Alternative antibiotic regimens effective for resource-poor settings

A major research venture has yielded two antibiotic regimens for treating severe infections that can be administered in the outpatient setting.…

Antibiotic-resistant infections

6 April 2015: Sky News reported on a new antibiotic resistant superbug and warned that drug resistant infections will continue to rise without new antibiotics. Speaking to the channel, Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) spokesperson Jayne Lawrence said: “The pharmaceutical industry is not…