Antimicrobial stewardship during a time of rapid antimicrobial development: Potential impact on industry for future investment

Abstract

In response to the antimicrobial resistance crisis, pharmaceutical industry reinvested in and produced new antibiotics. Antimicrobial stewardship programs influence optimal antimicrobial use, which often places them at the cross-roads of resistance and treatments. We surveyed a clinical administration database of US medical centers between 2014 and 2018 for index antimicrobial utilization date of six Qualified Infectious Diseases Products (QIDP). Among 132 hospitals identified, the median time to use any agent was 398 days (range 13 to >1478 days). QIDP antibiotic use was more likely among academic medical centers (range 34%–88%) and hospitals >400 beds (range 39%–86%) compared to non-academic medical center (3–51%) and smaller and hospitals (range 0–61%). The South was quickest to use all QIDP (median 733 days), while the Northeast was longest at 1370 days. New antimicrobials have limited clinical use, which impacts manufacturers' ability to stay in the antimicrobial market and further risking a depleted antimicrobial pipeline.