Question: How close is the scientific community to finding an antibiotic that can combat MRSA?

David Foley answered on 14 Nov 2014:

Hi Izzy.

We have a way to go to address this need. In the past few decades their has been limited research into new antibiotics because the public, governments and even some doctors believed the problem had been “solved”.

Whilst scientists were aware this was not the case, this opinion effectively removed the incentives to conduct research and development in this area – governments wouldn’t fund academics and their was no market for industry.

This has begun to change as the seriousness of the problem has dawned on the public and policy makers. However, drug discovery takes around 15 years, so there is a long lag time between taking up a challenge and delivering results.

I would suggest in about 10 years we will have some new treatments – until then we will have to do the best we can to control the spread of resistance.