Scientists have developed the first effective alternative to antibiotics in what is being hailed as a significant advance in the fight against drug-resistant infections.
In a small patient trial, the drug was shown to be effective at eradicating the superbug MRSA. Scientists say it is unlikely that the infection could develop resistance against the new treatment, which is already available as a cream for skin infections. Researchers hope to develop a pill or an injectable version of the drug within five years.
Conventional antibiotics are steadily losing their effectiveness at treating infections, prompting David Cameron to warn this year that the rise of drug-resistant superbugs could take medicine “back to the dark ages”.
Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer, has predicted an “apocalyptic” scenario