A recent study published by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that over 50% of COVID-19 hospital admissions led to one or more antibiotics being given to patients from February to July 2020, while only 20% of those hospitalized COVID-19 patients had presented with common bacterial infections.

David Hyun, MD, director of the Antibiotic Resistance Project with Pew Charitable Trusts, recently spoke with Oncology Nursing News® about how antibiotic stewardship programs ensure that antibiotics continue to be administered appropriately and how the revitalization of the antibiotic pipeline is crucial for the safety of patients, 

The Antibiotic Resistance Project aims to help promote policies that will encourage the research and development of antibiotics. The objectives of the project include removing regulatory, economic, and scientific obstacles that impede antibiotic research and development, as well as establishing stewardship programs in hospitals to guarantee that antibiotics are prescribed appropriately.

“We have an opportunity here, when it comes to antibiotic resistance, to learn from our COVID-19 experience and the successes in terms of globalizing resources to address these types of global health crises,” said Hyun. “Now is the time to really invest and come up with policies to reinvigorate the antibiotic pipeline.”

PEW. Could efforts to fight the coronavirus lead to overuse of antibiotics? March 10, 2021.https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2021/03/could-efforts-to-fight-the-coronavirus-lead-to-overuse-of-antibiotics Accessed July 2, 2021.

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The reality of the COVID-19 pandemic will force lawmakers to firmly act on behalf of antibiotic policies, according to an expert with Pew Charitable Trusts. 

Antibiotic Overuse During COVID-19 Pandemic Exacerbates Need for Firmer Prescription Policies, Expert Says

Ninety-five percent of oncologists reported that they worry about drug resistant bacteria, or superbugs, hurting their patients.

 Furthermore, 1 in 10 cancer deaths are the result of sepsis, and not the cancer itself. Despite this, the number of large pharmaceutical companies researching antibiotics has dropped from 8 to 2 between the years 2014 and 2020, according to data from an infographic release by Pew.

David Hyun, MD, director of the Antibiotic Resistance Project with Pew Charitable Trusts, recently spoke with Oncology Nursing News® on how the market is not designed to promote antibiotic research and development, and why revitalizing the antibiotic pipeline is essential to continue ensuring the safety of patients, particularly for patients with cancer.

The Antibiotic Resistance Project aims to help promote policies that will encourage the research and development of antibiotics. The objectives of the project include removing regulatory, economic, and scientific obstacles that impede antibiotic research and development, as well as to establish stewardship programs in hospitals to guarantee that antibiotics are prescribed appropriately.

PEW. Broken antibiotics market puts cancer treatments at risk. February 17, 2021. 

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/data-visualizations/2020/broken-antibiotics-market-puts-cancer-treatments-at-risk

Despite significant concerns from many oncologists regarding the effects of drug resistant bacteria, many pharmaceutical companies have recently stopped developing antibiotics. 



David Hyun, MD

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