Although the drug has yet to undergo clinical trials, the recent changes made by scientists signifies a growing hope that the modified super drug could kill super bugs which have developed resistance to the previous versions of vancomycin, a drug which has been on the market for several decades.
It a well-known fact that antibiotic resistance is a growing problem around the world - a problem that the World Health Organisation has called a "serious threat to global public health". With calls to action being made across the pharmaceutical community to develop new antibiotics which can beat these terrifying super bugs, scientists are scrambling to innovate a miracle solution. This most recent study by TSRI showed that the newly modified vancomycin killed typically vancomycin-resistant bacteria, a type of bacteria considered by the World Health Organisation as one which poses the greatest threat to human health. This is a giant step for the sector and the battle against antimicrobial resistance.
Whilst this new development signifies light at the end of the bacterial-resistance tunnel, we must not get complacent. We need to support our scientists, industry and researchers who are determined to help fight one of the greatest challenges our generation has seen - the fight against antimicrobial resistance and the prospect of returning to a world where mere infections could kill more people than cancer. So continuous innovation holds the key.