Is AstraZeneca getting ready to exit antibiotics research?
For the past year, the fate of antibiotics R&D at AstraZenecahas been uncertain. The drug maker, which possesses what is generally regarded as having the strongest antibiotics pipeline in the pharmaceutical industry, indicated that spending on this area would be reduced as part of a larger cutback and strategic refocusing. Ever since, speculation has grown that antibiotics may be abandoned altogether.
Now, an unconfirmed report suggests AstraZeneca may, in fact, be ready to walk away from the field.
Pharmaceutical industry consultant David Shlaes wrote on his Antibiotics blog earlier this week that the drug maker has told “its antibiotic researchers that they should make efforts to find other jobs in the near future. Even though there has been no official announcement yet that the antibiotics research group will be disbanded, their scientists are starting to head for the hills.”
When asked for a response, an AstraZeneca spokeswoman wrote us that “we saw the blog and it is highly speculative. We continue to be active in anti-infectives and have a strong pipeline of drugs in development.” She cited, as an example, an antibiotic for treating hospitalized adults with complicated stomach infections. Positive late-stage study results were recently reported showing the product was ‘non-inferior,’ or not statistically worse compared with an existing treatment.
“However, we have previously said on a number of occasions that we would take an opportunity-driven approach in our non-core therapeutic areas of infection and neuroscience,” she continues. “This means we would focus our resources on the core therapeutic areas and look for opportunities to maximize the value of our pipeline infection and neuroscience.”
This response was largely similar to one given to Nature, which then wrote that AstraZeneca neither confirmed nor denied plans to exit antibiotic R&D. So we asked for further clarification and the spokeswoman wrote us this: “When we have anything to announce, such as a partnership activity, we would do so. But at this time, there is no news or change to our position on anti-infectives.”
Any move by AstraZeneca will be closely watched because of the timing – public health officials, notably the World Health Organization, have been warning about the growing threat of resistance to existing antibiotics and the need to develop new products. Last month, for instance, the Obama administration released a game plan for combating antibiotic resistance. The pharmaceutical industry, however, has largely drifted away from research into this area.
