Trends and Considerations in Global Infectious Disease Drug Dev | Page 11

Today, drug developers prefer to invest in chronic disease such as diabetes or arthritis rather than acute infectious diseases to gain optimum drug
duration and return on investment. For chronic infection trials, enrollment is easier since advertising can be used effectively and there are regions
outside the US that have significantly larger non-treated populations with chronic disease, such as COPD in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Outlook for Infectious Disease Development: Opportunities in 2013 and Beyond »
Increased Government and Private Support
While significant advances have been made in the control and prevention of infectious diseases, there is a clear need for therapeutic innovations,
prompt and efficient diagnosis, and constant surveillance to meet their growing threat. Drug developers must conduct clinical trials prior to the
emergence or spread of these diseases and deliver advanced therapies to control them.
Fortunately, governments around the world are playing an increasing role in supporting infectious disease drug development, and advanced
technologies are making trials more efficient. Regulatory changes and clearer development guidelines coupled with investment incentives will
help reinvigorate interest in infectious disease development. The FDA and Congress recognize the urgency of stimulating the discovery and
development of new drugs.
Increasingly, government agencies worldwide have been offering grants and
seeking public-private partnerships for the development of new infectious
disease agents and bioterrorism countermeasures. Smaller companies are

Figure 9. Outlook

for Infectious Disease
Development: Increased Government
and Private Support

conducting clinical trials for targeted diseases with one or two indications, and
are increasingly being supported by government funding. As in the case of earlier
medical crises that led to changes in how therapeutic drugs are developed and
labeled, the current global spread of drug resistance, especially among bacterial
pathogens, has led agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the US
Department of Defense to recognize the urgency of stimulating the development
of new drugs. Even Congress and the FDA have felt the pressure.
Increasingly committed to antibiotic research and development, these agencies
are exploring new incentives to foster interest and investment in antimicrobial
drug development, encouraging pathogen-targeted development plans for
targets such as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs), which resist
many antibiotics, and granting more approvals for smaller studies.

clinipace.com

10