A real tonic

I was intrigued by Susanne Masters’ article (Potions from the ocean, Spring 2020) about the medicinal potential of marine species. What excited me most, as a medical microbiologist, was the potential to produce much-needed new antibiotics.

If achieved cheaply, it will be a gamechanger, allowing greater access to effective antibiotics by all – including the developing world. The pharmaceutical industry will be less reluctant to research and discover new antibiotics, encouraged by lower costs of bringing them to market. Huge investments currently yield little returns, as the advice is to use antibiotics sparingly to prevent resistance and preserve their future usefulness. Lower antibiotic research and development costs will conceivably attract pharmaceuticals back to the antibiotic market.

Dr Manyando Milupi, Doncaster