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Hard to get regulatory approval and concerns that phages can't be patented so pharmaceutical can't guarantee a monopoly. Plus, the existing way works, so not mu
by jeffreyrogers 8y ago
Hard to get regulatory approval and concerns that phages can't be patented so pharmaceutical can't guarantee a monopoly. Plus, the existing way works, so not much incentive to replace it with something speculative. Sort of like why you don't rewrite an existing codebase in C in some other language.
- notadoc 8y ago> Plus, the existing way works, so not much incentive to replace it with something speculative. Except the existing way is quickly no longer working, hence antibiotic resistance. Also, it's not speculative, phage therapy works.
- sndean 8y agoHaving talked to a researcher that's used phage therapy on a soldier to combat sepsis, it obviously works, but the hurdle is getting the FDA/others to allow injection of live virus into people. (Edit: that was his quick response to "why is it not being used?") Somewhat similar: I had to get several injections of the subunit anthrax vaccine that essentially doesn't work (even though live attenuated anthrax is far more effective) because some regulatory committee doesn't like the idea of live (or even whole cell) vaccines.
- jeffreyrogers 8y agoSure, I'm disputing either of those claims. But if you look at it from the perspective of a drug company the existing way is fine (for now) and it's risky to switch.
- jeffreyrogers 8y agoOops should have said "not disputing".