Why Are MDs Slow to Use New Antibiotics? ID in the News
IDSA spokespersons Cesar Arias, MD, FIDSA, and Cornelius Clancy, MD, spoke with Infectious Disease Special Edition on why physicians are slow to use and prescribe new antibiotics.
In Why Won’t MDs Prescribe New Antibiotics?, Dr. Arias states, “some of the advancements in gram-negative agents are of paramount importance, especially the novel combinations of beta-lactamase inhibitors and the production of tetracycline derivatives. The clinical data to date for these drugs show a good toxicity profile.” Dr. Arias continues, “There is also a lot of optimism about molecules coming through the pipeline. But the small companies that are developing these drugs are not financially viable, thus preventing us from gaining access, which is a very worrisome scenario.”
Dr. Clancy explains in Physicians Slow to Use Effective New Antibiotics Against Superbugs, “the infectious diseases community spent the past decade saying, ‘We need new antibiotics; this is a top priority,’ and now we’re at risk of sounding like the boy who cried wolf.” Dr. Clancy continues, “Cost is a limitation, but I’m not convinced it is the sole cause of our findings. Clinicians may not be prescribing the new drugs due to concerns about accelerating antibiotic resistance or because initial studies on their effectiveness were relatively small. We need to get at the root causes of the disconnect between what the doctors prescribe and what the pharmacists we surveyed believe they should be prescribing, and then find a solution.”
These are just two of the news pieces that IDSA and our member spokespersons contributed to, in addition to others in the pipeline. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to see the latest news and opinion pieces featuring IDSA, HIVMA and our members.
- Infectious Disease News: Q&A: Supporting diversity, inclusion in the infectious disease field (Cynthia Sears, MD, FIDSA)
- Infectious Disease News: ID consultation lowers mortality in patients with candidemia (Susan Bleasdale, MD, FIDSA)
- Medpage Today: Trump Orders Flu Vaccine Overhaul (Andrew Pavia, MD, FIDSA)
- NPR: Russian Lab Explosion Raises Question: Should Smallpox Virus Be Kept Or Destroyed? (Jeff Duchin, MD, FIDSA)