Letters
Antibiotic drug research
Existing classes of antibiotics are probably the best we will ever have
BMJ 2012; 344 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.e3369 (Published 15 May 2012) Cite this as: BMJ 2012;344:e3369- Martin Cormican, medical microbiologist1,
- Akke Vellinga, epidemiologist1
- 1School of Medicine (General Practice and Bacteriology), National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Republic of Ireland
- martin.cormican{at}hse.ie
Paccaud emphasises economic incentives for new antibiotic discovery to tackle antibiotic resistance.1 An ecological perspective suggests that new drug discovery may not make a major contribution.
The ideal target for antibiotic action is a crucial step in bacterial physiology with no parallel in mammalian cells—for example, penicillin targets a step in cell wall synthesis. Because there …
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