GlaxoSmithKline welcomes EU-wide antibiotic collaborations

GlaxoSmithKline has reacted positively to a new commitment from the European Commission to foster collaboration in the field of antibiotics research.

A new action plan has been launched for the EU which has committed to providing funding for a collaborative research and development programme bringing together partners from the pharmaceutical and public sectors.

The aim of this scheme is to create new antibiotics to combat the growing threat from drug-resistant bacteria, an area of key importance due to the difficulty and expense of developing new therapies of this kind.

GlaxoSmithKline is one of the few pharmaceutical companies with an active antibiotic research and development programme and has welcomed the new efforts to revitalise the current commercial model.

Andrew Witty, chief executive officer of GlaxoSmithKline, said: "It is now important for industry and public partners to turn today's proposal into real actions that can help lead to the development of real medicines."

Earlier this month, the company published new clinical data from a study of eltrombopag, showing the investigational drug's benefits for hepatitis C patients.