OREANDA-NEWS. October 26, 2015. Redx Pharma, the drug discovery and development company, welcomes the publication today of a fourth paper prepared by The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, chaired by Jim O'Neill. The paper focuses on the use of rapid diagnostics in tackling the problem of unnecessary use of antibiotics and in improving the treatment of infections.

The report notes that the world needs a step change in the way that technology is incorporated into the decision-making process around antibiotic use - whether that be in the home, the pharmacy, a doctor's surgery or hospital.

It states that more refined tests, able to identify the strain of bacterial infection and the antibiotics to which it is resistant or susceptible, will allow more precise prescribing of narrow spectrum antibiotics. This in turn reduces our dependence on broad-spectrum products, slowing the development of resistance and improving the treatment that patients receive.

The report, entitled Rapid Diagnostics: Stopping Unnecessary Use of Antibiotics can be found on the following link http://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/Paper-Rapid-Diagnostics-Stopping-Unnecessary-Prescription.pdf

Dr Neil Murray, chief executive of Redx Pharma, commented:

"We welcome this latest report from the Review that highlights the critical issue of AMR. As the report states, rapid diagnostics can play a vital role in both limiting the unnecessary use of antibiotics and in promoting more precise prescription of narrow spectrum antibiotics. Alongside this, there is an urgent need for new drugs, as resistance grows, which Redx is looking to develop."