The European Academies Science Advisory Council is worried about antibacterial resistance and warns that deaths from previously treatable infections will become more common without greater investment. And so they conclude new incentives are needed to encourage drugmakers to develop antibiotics, according to PharmaTimes.

Professor Volker ter Meulen, president of the Leopoldina Academy of Sciences in Germany and chair of a working group, says: “The problem of antibiotic resistance is growing. Our concern is that the European policy makers are not doing enough to stimulate the development of new antibacterial drugs and encourage the sharing of information between member states…

“For example, R&D for new antibiotic drugs is not an attractive option for drug companies in comparison with treatments for long-term chronic illnesses - which offer a better return on investment. Drug companies will need to be incentivized to continue valuable antibiotic R&D.”

What do they have in mind? In a report, they suggest a host of goodies: supplementing intellectual property protections (for example ‘wild-card’ patent extension and extended market exclusivity); tax incentives for R&D; guaranteed markets; liability protections; SME-specific support; and a new independent body to prioritize discovery research objectives and to target incentives.

What might they have left out?