'Superbugs' Invasion: Drug Companies Seek Government Assistance to Fight Drug-Resistant Viruses

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There have been several drug companies that seek government assistance to fight drug-resistant viruses called superbugs. Its invasion has quite captured the attention of both pharma and medical fields.

Reuters informed that over 83 international biotech and pharmaceutical companies have urged governments to work with them in fighting against drug-resistant superbugs because these could kill tens of millions of people only within decades. This progress will be prevented if new antibiotics are found and made to kill these viruses.

The companies further declared that the multi-drug-resistant infections that can still evade even with medicines that are designed to kill them has been rising in an alarming level, which is now truly a threat to everyone. This discovery in China -- a gene called mcr-1 -- shows that this kind of bacteria is resistant to all antibiotics that are known to us.

United News of India has also added that a declaration at the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, is called for efforts to be coordinated to stop any unnecessary use of antibiotics. In turn, support for development of new ones -- in lieu of these drugs -- may be included by investing in researches and changing of drug price tags.

Aside from the 83 pharmaceutical companies, there are eight industry groups that also urge the governments in the world to set aside financial budget for this new worldwide incentive - battling against the invasion of these superbugs.

"For the world to continue to have new antibiotics, we need investments in basic science and novel incentive models for industry R&D, and to protect our existing treatments, we need new frameworks for appropriate use," Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer of Johnson & Johnson, said.

In 2014, Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, asked Jim O'Neill, former Goldman Sachs chief economist, to conduct a thorough review of this problem and to suggest ways to fight against it.

In O'Neill's initial report, he estimated microbial and antibiotic resistance may kill an extra of about 10 million people annually. It also costs up to $100 trillion by the year 2050 if this problem is not brought under control or addressed.

In 1928, when penicillin is first discovered as the first antibiotic, the superbugs have become drug-resistant that has grown in the recent years. With this, some pharmaceutical companies have to cut back their investments in this field.

Therefore, in the declaration of the companies in Davos, they have pledged to support more appropriate usage of the existing and new antibiotics, which include more prudent use of these drugs in farm animals. Also, they would ensure to have affordable access to antibiotics across the world, including for those people with low income.