Ask the experts: how to curb antibiotic resistance and plug the antibiotics gap?

Abstract

The mid-20th century was witness to the most prolific antibiotic discovery era yet, however, in the years since, interest in the field has waned and there is now a dramatic shortage of new classes of antibiotics under development. With the rise of antibacterial drug resistance, there has been much debate across the scientific community regarding how best to bolster the antibacterial drug pipeline. While there is an increasing focus on the search for new scaffolds and drug targets, efforts are also being channelled towards more short-term solutions, such as rejuvenating current antibiotics and drug repurposing. In addition, leaders in the field are calling for an urgent shake-up with regards to funding, regulatory restrictions, intellectual property and pricing models for the sale of new drugs, in order to help stimulate the discovery and development of novel antibacterial agents. Future Medicinal Chemistry invited a selection of experts to express their views on the major hurdles in plugging the antibiotic gap, possible approaches to curbing a potential antibiotic crisis, and how they perceive the field of antibacterial drug discovery will develop over the coming years. Their enlightening responses provide an insight into the complexities of this issue and a snapshot of the strategies that are being put into place to help catalyze antibacterial drug research.