Trends and Considerations in Global Infectious Disease Drug Dev | Page 14
Future Development Opportunities
Major progress has been made in controlling and potentially eradicating certain infectious diseases. Polio and measles are close to eradication,
and major strides have been made in controlling diseases such as hepatitis B, malaria and HIV, and curing chronic hepatitis C virus infection.5
Future areas of research and development will likely include better antibacterial and antiviral combination therapies and more narrow-spectrum
drugs against infectious agents, which are less likely to cause multidrug resistance. Emerging areas of clinical research also include the development of both synthetic antibodies that mimic white blood cells and monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to target infectious diseases. Development is transitioning from broad spectrum antibiotics to more targeted therapies, and from large pharmaceutical sponsors to smaller biotechnology companies. Genomics techniques such as PCR and proteomics are helping in the discovery of new infectious diseases and disease pathogenesis,
and have improved surveillance, diagnosis, and drug and vaccine design.5
New knowledge, advanced technologies, and greater commitment by
pharmaceutical research companies, the medical community, and
government agencies can help meet the continuing, ever-changing threat
from infectious diseases.
Author Bios »
The Infectious Diseases
Society of America 10 x ’20
campaign calls for10 new
antibacterials by 2020
James Alexander, MD, MPH, Infectious Disease Consultant
Jim trained in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases and for a decade was
a local public health medical officer and clinical infectious disease physician/consultant. His pharmaceutical d