In 1967, the U.S. surgeon general declared it was time to "close the book on infectious diseases.” With the introduction of new classes of powerful antibiotics, cholera, influenza, typhoid, whooping cough and other communicable diseases were brought under control. It certainly seemed as if bacterial infections, at least, were becoming a thing of the past.
However, bacteria have proven themselves to be remarkably adept at surviving.
In 2013, the CDC issued the Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States that reported the frightening statistic that at least 2 million Americans become infected with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens and at least 23,000 of them die each year. Since then, government organizations across the globe, including Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, have developed and implemented national plans to ensure better surveillance of antimicrobial-resistant infections and stricter regulations for the use of antibiotics in agriculture. Further, incentives have been put in place in Canada and other countries to encourage pharmaceutical and biotech companies to prioritize research and development of new antimicrobial agents.
In January 2016, Fedora joined a host of international organizations in signing a “Declaration by the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and Diagnostics Industries on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance.” While some companies that signed support the cause of antimicrobial research outside of their walls, Fedora is applying its team’s 30-plus years of antimicrobial drug development experience in the creation of a pipeline of antimicrobial drug candidates.
Without new drugs to combat bacterial infections, they will become even harder to treat, healthcare costs will continue to rise, surgeries that are now routine will become dangerous; and, according to the director general of the World Health Organization, we could be facing “the end of modern medicine as we know it.”
Bacteria will continue to evolve. As such, we need to pursue research and development aggressively to stay in-front of that evolution. We are committed to that pursuit at Fedora and look forward to keeping you apprised on our progress.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Fedora Pharmaceuticals, Inc.