Tag Archive for: Antibiotics

Global health officials have repeatedly warned about the rise of antimicrobial-resistant microbes due to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics, which encourages microorganisms to evolve into “superbugs.”

Pfizer has warned that a drug used to treat syphilis and other bacterial infections in children could run out by the end of June because it has had to prioritize versions made for adults due to a spike in syphilis infections in that population.

President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday unveiled plans to relocate the production of key medicines to France to tackle shortages of imported products, ranging from antibiotics to paracetamol, that came into focus during the COVID epidemic.

While many countries around the world have reported shortages of antibiotics as respiratory infections return with a vengeance after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, the problem in Europe is particularly acute.

The letter sent to the European Medicines Agency comes as antibiotics, including amoxicillin – used to treat bacterial infections and often prescribed for ear and chest infections in children – have been in short supply since October.

Shortages of antibiotics have been reported in 26 European countries, according to the European Medicines Agency, in part due to the unseasonably early surge in respiratory infections.

In the absence of global standards limiting toxic emissions produced by antibiotics at the point of manufacture, the pharmaceutical industry has come up with its own standard. The AMR Industry Alliance – a coalition of drugmakers, biotech, diagnostic and other companies involved in the field of antimicrobials – is adopting its own standards to ensure the responsible manufacture of antibiotics.

Bacteria in Antarctica have been discovered with genes that give them natural antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance and have the potential to spread out of the polar regions, according to scientists in Chile.