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Taking bacteriophage therapy seriously: a moral argument.

Gilbert Verbeken1, Isabelle Huys2, Jean-Paul Pirnay3

  • 1Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Burn Wound Centre, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Bruynstraat 1, 1120 Brussel, Belgium ; Faculty of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium ; Department of Behavioural Sciences, Royal Military Academy, Renaissancelaan 30, 1000 Brussel, Belgium.

Biomed Research International
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Summary

Bacterial resistance is a growing crisis, with few new antibiotics available. Bacteriophage therapy offers a promising alternative, but access remains limited, which is morally unacceptable.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat, causing over 400,000 infections and 25,000 deaths annually in Europe.
  • The pharmaceutical industry has a limited pipeline of new antibiotics to combat rising bacterial resistance.
  • Bacteriophage therapy, a method using viruses to target bacteria, was historically used but neglected with the advent of antibiotics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the critical need for increased accessibility to bacteriophage therapy.
  • To argue that the current limited access to bacteriophage therapy is morally unacceptable.
  • To emphasize the shared responsibility of stakeholders in making bacteriophage therapy available.

Main Methods:

  • Review of historical and current literature on antibiotic resistance and bacteriophage therapy.
  • Analysis of the current regulatory and accessibility landscape for bacteriophage therapy.
  • Ethical argument concerning stakeholder responsibilities.

Main Results:

  • Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections pose a significant and growing threat in Europe.
  • There is a resurgence of interest in bacteriophage therapy due to the antibiotic crisis.
  • Access to bacteriophage therapy is severely restricted despite its potential.

Conclusions:

  • The current lack of access to bacteriophage therapy for patients in need is ethically indefensible.
  • Pharmaceutical companies, regulatory bodies, and policymakers must collaborate to facilitate urgent access.
  • Ensuring widespread availability of bacteriophage therapy is a moral imperative for global health.