Dear All,
Clear analyses by our colleagues in the science-focused media are invaluable ways to educate both ourselves and others: we learn new viewpoints while our non-technical friends and colleagues learn what keeps us up at night.
On this note, we have two recently released 30-minute podcasts that are very much worth hearing and sharing.
First, Jason Gale, a science writer for Bloomberg, gives us a detailed look into the impact of XDR (extreme drug resistance) by talking with Abdul Ghafur about its impact on the ability to deliver chemotherapy in India. Key quote: “Yes, your cancer will be controlled, but then you may die of infection.” Go here to listen. 27 Sep 2019 update: All four of Jason’s podcasts are now online. Go to this blog post for the full set.
Second, Christan Baars, an investigative journalist at NDR (a German- & English-language Hamburg-based public radio and TV broadcaster) digs deep into the reasons for recent exits by pharma from the antibiotic space. No single quote does this one justice, but hearing Ryan Cirz talk about Achaogen’s bankruptcy is very powerful. Go here to listen. Note that there are two versions of the podcast (English, German) … it becomes obvious in the first few seconds of each if you’ve found the one you want.
Listen to these with your morning coffee tomorrow and the day after … you’ll find it time well spent. All best wishes, –jr
John H. Rex, MD | Chief Medical Officer, F2G Ltd. | Expert-in-Residence, Wellcome Trust. Follow me on Twitter: @JohnRex_NewAbx. See past newsletters and subscribe for the future: https://amr.solutions/blog/
Upcoming meetings of interest to the AMR community:
- 3 Oct 2019 (webinar, 17:00-18:30 CEST): REVIVE webinar entitled “Natural product antibiotics: from traditional screening to novel discovery approaches.” Go here to register.
- 2-6 Oct 2019 (Washington, DC): IDSA’s annual IDWeek meeting.
- 8 Oct 2019 (London): Launch of “Reviewing Antimicrobial Resistance: Where Are We Now and What Needs to Be Done?”, a follow-up to the UK AMR Review‘s report and recommendations. Go here to register.
- 10 Oct 2019 (online): Deadline for feedback to the Global AMR R&D Hub on their draft Collaboration Framework. Go here to tell them what you think!
- 11 Oct 2019 (online): Deadline for Novo REPAIR’s 2019 US-Canada investment round. Go here for details — you need to dig all the way to the bottom of the web page.
- [NEW] 16 Oct 2019 (FDA, White Oak): Advisory Committee for NDA 209445, cefiderocol lyophilized powder for intravenous administration, submitted by Shionogi Inc., for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), including pyelonephritis due to gram-negative bacteria in patients with limited or no alternative treatment options. Go here for details.
- 19-27 Oct 2019 (Annecy, France): International Course on Antibiotics and Resistance (ICARe) – A soup-to-nuts intensive residential training program on all things AMR, especially R&D for new antibiotics. See this link for details.
- 4 Nov 2019 (FDA, White Oak): Public hearing on FDA’s proposed rules for “Use of Fecal Microbiota for Transplantation to Treat Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile.” Go here for the online FR notice and here for the .pdf version.
- 7 Nov 2019 (webinar, 17:00-18:30 CEST): REVIVE webinar entitled “Converting Gram-positive-only compounds into broad-spectrum antibiotics.” Go here to register.
- 19 Nov 2019 (London): BSAC seminar entitled “Into clinical practice: Meeting the challenges of Gram-negative infection management”. A one-day conference on treatments for Gram-negative infections. Go here for details.
- 28-29 Nov 2019 (Birmingham, UK): BSAC workshop entitled “ARM (Antibiotic Resistance & Mechanisms)”. This meeting is a research forum for UK-based researchers at all levels, including PhD students and technicians. Go here for details.
- 16-18 Dec 2019 (Bangkok, Thailand): 3rd International Symposium on Alternatives to Antibiotics in Animal Production. Go here for details: https://www.ars.usda.gov/alternativestoantibiotics/
- 21 Jan 2020 (London): BSAC’s 2nd Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Conference – An ABC for everyone involved in developing new antimicrobials. Go here for details.
- 20 Feb 2020 (London, UK): Westminster Health Forum conference entitled “Antimicrobial resistance – coordinating a global response and progress on the UK strategy.” Go here for details.
- 26-27 Feb 2020 (Washington, DC): US PACCARB public meeting. Go here for details.
- 1-6 Mar 2020 (Il Ciocco, Tuscany, Italy): GRC on Antibacterial Discovery and Development: “Now is the time to re-boot antibiotic R&D before it’s too little, too late.” Go here for details.
- 12-13 Mar 2020 (Basel, I’m told): BEAM-, Novo REPAIR-, CARB-X-, DZIF-, ND4BB-, ENABLE-supported (among a long list!) Conference on Novel Antimicrobials and AMR Diagnostics. Final location is TBD, details will appear here, and you should mark your calendar now.
- 16-17 Mar 2020 (London): BSAC Spring Conference entitled: “Bridging the gap between science, policy and effective antimicrobial use.” Go here for details.
- 18-21 Apr 2020 (Paris): Annual ECCMID meeting (#30)
- 25-30 May 2020 (Rotterdam), Annual ESPID meeting (European Society for Pediatric ID, #38)
- 10-13 Apr 2021 (Vienna): Annual ECCMID meeting (#31)
- 1-4 Sep 2020 (Dublin): Annual ASM-ESCMID Conference on Antibiotic Development #5! Mark your calendar now, details to follow.
- 9-10 Sep 2020 (Washington, DC): US PACCARB public meeting. Go here for details.