Antibiotic Resistant Staph Antibiotic Discovered

edward.virtually@pob writes "CNN is reporting that a team of scientists has discovered an extremely effective killer of the antibiotic resistant form of staph infection occuring naturally in rock pools. Unfortunately, despite the obvious cheap potential availability of this cure, do not expect it to be cheaply available. The employer of the scientists, AquaPharm Bio-Discovery Limited, the story notes 'is keeping the identity of its MRSA-killing bacteria a closely guarded secret, and taken out patents on how they can be cultivated and used.' Oh well."

Comments

Patenting..

[sporty]

I see nothing wrong with pantenting the process so long as the patent isn't abused.

Remember claritin before the FDA deemed it fine to go over the counter? It was stupifying the price drop.

I hope these people don't find the cure for AIDS. That would be one that would be ethically/morally wrong to abuse.

An new antibiotic? How about a new approach

[xA40D]

I read a while back that the antibiotic approach to dealing with bacteria will always result in resistant strains of that bacteria. You can mitigate the problem by ensuring people take the full course of antibiotics, but eventually resistant strains will emerge.

The article went on to note that a diferent approach seemed to be 100% effective in killing bacteria.

Bacteriophages.

Very simply if you take sample from the places that a particular strain of a bacteria is known to be present - an then alalyse these samples - you will eventually find a virus that simply eats the bacteria. Cultivate large amounts of the virus, and you can use it to kill the bacteria.

The article highlighted the Russians who, during the cold war, became quite good with Bateriophages. But that problems with patents and financing prevented the commercial exploitation
of their knowlegebase.

From what I could understand bacteriophage development is so simple, it would be impossible to make any money out of it.

Can't make any money out of it?!!?

Makes you think.

Re:And they shouldn't make money why?

[haystor]

"Found" in a rock pool isn't exactly how it all came about either. They have probably looked thousands of places cataloging millions of strains of bacteria. Its not like they wandered up to a pool and the damn thing had a sign on it.

If its so "obvious" that it should be common knowledge just because it was found in a pool, how come it wasn't stumbled upon before? The fact that it has been found now is good indication that drug companies have been encouraged to look for such things.

I do think it would be an interesting economic model though to put a bounty on certain types of drugs, say $2 billion for a antibiotic-resistant staph antibiotic. When funded by the whole world, numbers like $10billion for major drugs wouldn't be that high. Insurance companies would likely offer bounties as well.