Comments on Superbug: More on NDM-1

This looks like media hype on the name of India......

2010-08-17T22:08:36.158-05:00

This looks like media hype on the name of India...and it's disgusting but not surprising.

Dear Maryn, Can you please explain the difference...

2010-08-16T08:59:14.516-05:00

Dear Maryn,

Can you please explain the difference between VRE and enterrococcus with NDM-1?

I also want to compliment you on the LA times article - you write so well, for so many audiences!

Sincerely,
Michele Bruer RN, MSN, MTS

Jan - thanks for visiting and for the nice note! R...

2010-08-13T19:32:54.096-05:00

Jan - thanks for visiting and for the nice note! Regarding the LATimes story: I too find that puzzling and would like ot know what it is based on. Mind you, there are certainly some companies that find the field lucrative enough to stay in in - for instance, Cubist, who make daptomycin. (The story of the development of daptomycin is told in Superbug the book.) And it is also true that there are small biotechs working on new compounds and hoping for the big score. But overall, there are fewer companies making antibiotics than there used to be, which is why we are in the dry-pipeline situation we now are in, particularly for Gram-negatives.

Maryn – I loved your book and really appreciate th...

2010-08-13T14:41:32.334-05:00

Maryn – I loved your book and really appreciate the clarity and timeliness of your blog posts.

The LA Times is reporting ( http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-superbug-20100813,0,2420404.story) that the news on NDM-1 is overblown. But what really surprised me in their article was this – after mentioning two older antibiotics (colistin and Tygacil), they say: “Pharmaceutical companies are also developing a number of other new antibiotics, a market that is currently viewed as potentially lucrative.”

The “potentially lucrative” part goes against everything I’ve read. I was wondering if that agrees with what you know. It would be good news if it’s true.