Sir, – Your editorial of September 26th explains that the shortage of new antibiotics in the production pipeline leaves us vulnerable to emerging “superbugs”. It is worth noting that the reason so few antibiotics are being developed is that they have limited potential for profit and hence are of little interest to the pharmaceutical industry. Public health rather than commercial interests need to dictate the direction of drugs research. Governments must take steps to ensure that this happens as recommended by the UN High Level Panel on Access to Medicines 2016. – Yours, etc,
Dr KIERAN HARKIN,
Access to Medicines Ireland,
Comhlámh,
Parliament Street
Dublin 2.
Sir, – Regarding the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emergency, AMR Ireland (amr.ie) has been set up to form a network of individuals and organisations in Ireland with an interest in addressing this critical global issue. There is a concerted, collaborative effort required from a broad spectrum of people throughout Ireland and the world, as part of the One Health Initiative, if this issue is to be addressed. It will require significant expertise and funding from many different sources, including pharmaceutical companies. – Yours, etc,
FINTAN KELLEHER, PhD,
AMR Ireland,
Lecturer in Chemistry,
Department of Science,
Institute of Technology
Tallaght,
Dublin 24.