The Health Protection Agency (HPA) believes bugs other than MRSA are now threatening patient health. Due to the increasing use of antibiotics, resistance levels are now deeply concerning experts.
The HPA have warned the NHS to restrict the use of antibiotics as they become less effective. Dr David Livermore, a HPA infections expert said: “Hospitals are having to use what were second-line antibiotics first. We are not actually running out of antibiotics, however we are now having to use our last-defence antibiotics first in some hospital infections.”
The HPA monitors bloodstream infections and have reported a 12% increase of bloodstream infections by E. coli in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The antibiotics usually used to fight against the infection are now performing poorly. As a result, the HPA is urging for additional research and development into new antibiotics.
The prioritised agenda to reduce rates of MRSA has meant other areas have received less research and development attention. The two main bacterial families are known as Gram-positive, such as MRSA, and Gram-negative. The latter includes E. coli, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas. Due to the focus being placed on Gram-positive bacteria, the development of antibiotics used in the battle against Gram-negative bacteria has received limited investment.
Dr Livermore warned of the dangers of overusing antibiotics: “The NHS must be careful over its use of antibiotics to slow down the development of resistance. Hospitals must make sure they use the right dose, for the right length of time.” This advice extends to GPs, with the message reiterated to them not to prescribe unless necessary, nor should the patient expect antibiotics to be prescribed to them for lesser complaints. Dr Livermore explained: “Resistance has been accumulating. We are having to use reserve antibiotics more than previously… that is worrying.” He added: “There are some cracks in the system, but they are not big ones yet.”
Director of the Agency’s Centre for Infections, Professor Peter Borriello added: “The problem of antibiotic resistance is likely to remain with us for the foreseeable future. But the fight against resistance is not futile. Efforts to control the problem will be long and complex but these efforts are already underway.”
Dr Livermore outlined others patterns in the use of antibiotics: “Resistance is also part of the price we pay for advances in medical technology and being able to keep sick patients alive for longer. We can however try to minimise this problem by ensuring antibiotics are used sparingly and that a range of new treatment options is in development.”
Whatever the drug development however, it has to be financially viable and profitable for the companies involved, though where that source of funding is found is debateable. It is estimated that it costs between $500 million to $1 billion to introduce new drugs to the market.
Spokesman for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry reassured that pharmaceutical companies are taking the research and development of new antibiotics very seriously. They are working to reinforce the efforts of the Infectious Disease Research Network – a group of NHS professionals dedicated to researching new potential treatments.
