Drug industry to fight superbugs together with governments
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TRENTON, N.J : Dozens of makers of medicines and diagnostic tests have joined together in an unprecedented effort to tackle "superbugs" - infections that increasingly don't respond to drugs and threaten millions of people in countries rich and poor.
Altogether, 74 drugmakers, 11 makers of diagnostic tests and nine industry groups have signed a groundbreaking agreement to work governments and each other to prevent and improve treatment of drug-resistant infections. They plan to announce the new agreement Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The effort is sorely needed. Many common infections no longer respond to conventional drugs, mainly due to overuse of antibiotics, few new drugs to fight bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, and declining industry research in the field. A key factor driving those problems is the relatively low prices infection-fighting medicines bring, compared to many drugs patients take for years for chronic conditions.
Altogether, 74 drugmakers, 11 makers of diagnostic tests and nine industry groups have signed a groundbreaking agreement to work governments and each other to prevent and improve treatment of drug-resistant infections. They plan to announce the new agreement Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The effort is sorely needed. Many common infections no longer respond to conventional drugs, mainly due to overuse of antibiotics, few new drugs to fight bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, and declining industry research in the field. A key factor driving those problems is the relatively low prices infection-fighting medicines bring, compared to many drugs patients take for years for chronic conditions.
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