“In 2050, there will be more deaths from bacteria than from cancer.”

Head of the infectious diseases department Hospital Virgen del Rocío, Jose Miguel Cisneros (Jaen, 1960), very concerned endurance that the most common bacteria develop against antibiotics accessible.

He admits this to the publication EL ESPAÑOL from Seville. Warns that this “global problem“Because of, among other things, “globalization.” Moreover, this becomes an exponential problem: “The more antibiotics are consumed, the more resistance is generated.”

In fact, Cisneros assures that if nothing changes, “there is estimates very prestigious, as is the O’Neill report, which states that 2050 number of deaths from infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria will surpass those who died from cancer“.

And not only that. I came across a problem that “serious“, condemns”lack of antiviral treatment“.

Cisneros admits that “there are no drugs for acute viral infections.” An example would be West Nile viruswhich has hit different points in recent months Seville.

For the first problem with antibiotics, there are only two solutions. On the one hand, reduce consumption “to strictly necessary”, and on the other hand, research “ new antibiotics“which are effective against these multi-resistant bacteria. The area they just contributed their grain of sand to.

New drug

And last week, Virgen del Rocio announced that he and his partner Rosa Maria Jimenez Rodriguezfrom the general surgery department, they reached international milestoneparticipate in the creation A new antibiotic.

This new antimicrobial drug This was very expected becauseAccording to the hospital, very active against common bacteria that cause serious infections and whose Available treatment options are very limited.

“Intellectual” essay leader

Cisneros is a medical professional recognized throughout Europe. Actually, European Union labeled it as “intellectual leader» clinical trial. Total 87 hospitals and 400 patients from all over the world.

The investigation, Cisneros tells this newspaper, is being carried out within a pharmaceutical laboratory. Pfizerauthor of the discovery. In addition, it will finance the project and act as the owner of the drug.

European Union“,” explains this specialist, “considered that this new project should be classified as a “priority”, so he went to “co-financing its development through Innovative medical initiative (IMI).”

“That’s where I come in,” he says. The relevant European institutions “asked him to lead the academic part of the clinical trial.” So it looks like ” first signatory scientific article”, “corresponding author“.

This article reveals test resultsand managed to be published in one of scientific journals which has had the greatest impact on society, The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Just approved

This is a new treatment has been shown in previous studies in vitro, which was very active against the type of infections for which it was created. But had to prove it in a large clinical trial,” as in reality, “any drug is approved.”

The test was carried out during last five yearsdividing the patients into two groups. The first one was treated with traditional treatment, and the second one was treated with a new one, “the one from the experiment.” Treatment that “intravenous“.

The patients were from different countries in America, Europe and Asia. Thus, they “proved that treatment is safe and effectiveThanks to this discovery, “drug regulatory authorities in America and Europe” approved its use in humans.

Lack of antibiotics can “paralyze” medicine

However, the problem of antibiotic ineffectiveness, unfortunately, will not be solved by the creation of a single new treatment method, no matter how important it is.

“In the 1990s,” explains Cisneros, “it was expected,” said the Nobel Prize laureate, “that we kill bacteria due to the large number of antibiotics introduced since the 80s.” But nothing could be further from the truth: “This did not happen, the prediction was wrong“.

World Health Organization (WHO) “ranks it among the greatest threats to global public health.”

In fact, this specialist believes that could jeopardize “medical advances”The equation is simple: “If there are no effective antibiotics, they cannot be produced. transplantsand do not use chemotherapy against cancer.