Doctors Attempting to Revive Antibiotics

It was almost 50 years ago when antibiotics started to change the world of modern medicine. This almost forgotten drug was once described as close to being a cure-all. Doctors were prescribing their patients with the drug to remedy various medical problems. It was not until the discovery of chloramphenicol that they ceased prescribing it, as it contained very dangerous side effects.

Now, there is effort seen in reviving the use of the medicine, as well as other related drugs, despite their dangers. This is due to scientists’ speculations that they might be the ones that suppress lethal bacteria that have turned immune to new drugs.

According to University of California, San Diego School of Medicine’s pediatric infectious disease expert John S. Bradley, “People are going all the way back to the original antibiotics that were shelved because of toxicity. We are desperate.”

The drive to rediscover the effect of the older medicines has become stronger, as there are relatively few new drugs made available today. In addition to this, since the old drugs have not been used in recent years, it leaves bacteria not immune to the chemicals it contains.

The chloramphenicol drug is, however, still used outside the United States to remedy ailments like meningitis, while an injectable type is also offered in the US.