Healthy Skepticism Library item: 18661

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Kesselheim AS, Outterson K
Fighting Antibiotic Resistance: Marrying New Financial Incentives To Meeting Public Health Goals
Health Affairs 2010; 29:(9):1689
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/29/9/1689

Abstract:

The world faces a worsening public health crisis: A growing number of bacteria are resistant to available antibiotics. Yet there are few new antibiotics in the development pipeline to take the place of these increasingly ineffective drugs. We review a number of proposals intended to bolster drug development, including such financial incentives for pharmaceutical manufacturers as extending the effective patent life for new antibiotics. However, such strategies directly conflict with the clear need to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions and could actually increase prescription use. As an alternative, we recommend a two-prong, “integrated” strategy. This would increase reimbursement for the appropriate, evidence-based use of antibiotics that also met specific public health goals-such as reducing illness levels while limiting antibiotic resistance.

Keywords:
Legal/Regulatory Issues • Antibiotics • Drug Development • Conservation