Novartis drops antibiotics research program, ceasing work on several experimental antimicrobial projects

CIDRAP News: Novartis drops antibiotic development program

“Antibiotic development efforts were dealt a blow [Tuesday] when drug maker Novartis AG announced its decision to drop its antibacterial and antiviral research programs. The decision means Novartis will no longer be working on several antimicrobial projects currently in development. … Before the decision was announced, Novartis was one of only a handful of large, research-based pharmaceutical companies still active in antibiotic research and development…”

Gizmodo: Novartis becomes the latest pharma company to give up on antibiotics research

“…Novartis’ exit is only the latest sign of Big Pharma’s hesitance to pursue antibiotic research; AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly have also shuttered their antibiotics research programs in recent years. While new antibiotics are still regularly discovered, their development and potential has slowed to a crawl over the decades. … Governments and outside organizations have tried to convince pharma companies to keep their antibiotic research programs going through generous subsidies and funding investments in recent years, while smaller boutique research firms have also stepped in. But there’s no clear indication that these efforts are really paying off…”