Taking bacteriophage therapy seriously: a moral argument

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.