Scientists warn of threat of return to pre-penicillin times

More and more bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics, and there are too few new drugs, scientists warn . Uncontrolled use of antibiotics could become the biggest HEALTH problem for decades

Antibiotics are becoming increasingly ineffective, posing the biggest medical threat in decades, writes Bild.

Thanks to the first antibiotic, penicillin, discovered in 1928 by British Alexander Fleming, humans were able to live an average of 30 years longer than in pre-penicillin times. Now humanity is again facing a threat, as more and more bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, and there are too few new remedies, the publication points out.

"We are losing the achievements of modern medicine and returning to the times before the discovery of penicillin," warned Matthias Ploetz, president of the Paul Ehrlich Society for Antibacterial Therapy.

Superbugs arebacteria that have developed resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. Infections caused by such bacteria are difficult to treat, increasing the risk of complications and death. Resistance develops due to overuse or misuse of antibiotics, causing bacteria to adapt and become insensitive to the drugs.

According to microbiologist and professor at the Leibniz Institute Yvonne Mast, the fact that more and more antibiotic-resistant bacteria are currently emerging against the backdrop of a shortage of new drugs poses a serious threat.

A recent study has shown that by 2050, more than 39 million people worldwide could die from infections caused by superbugs. Already, 35,000 people die each year from infections due to bacterial resistance to antibiotics in the EU alone, Bild notes.

Intensive care physician Professor Frank M. Brunhorst from the University Hospital of Jena named two main reasons for the resistance of pathogenic microorganisms to antibiotics. The first is the prescription of a large number of such drugs, especially in outpatient settings. In particular, for colds in children and cystitis.

"The second reason is that international travel, which is booming again after the CORONAVIRUS pandemic, is bringing us a lot of resistant microbes. The level of resistance is extremely high, especially in countries like Greece, Portugal, Turkey , but also in India and other Asian countries," he explained.

Since 2017, only 12 new antibiotics have been approved, the publication writes.

“The path from discovery to application is long and expensive. Clinical trials are particularly expensive. Only one in about 5,000 substances reaches market maturity, the development period is eight to 15 years, and the development costs are between €100 million and €2 billion,” Mast explained. According to her, companies are increasingly abandoning antibiotic R&D programs: the return on investment in these drugs is significantly lower than on investments in other drugs.