Christian Haddad, Erin Paterson, Andreas Albie, and Kirsty Bentley
(Department of Sociology & Department of Science and Technology Studies)
Can society keep up the ‘biomedical arms race’ against fierce multi-drug-resistant bacteria, so-called ‘superbugs’, which rapidly develop to withstand treatment with antibiotics?
Antibiotic drugs – encapsulating the triumph of modern medicine over bacteria – are indispensable for healthcare and public health. Yet, their decades-long excessive global use has rapidly undermined their efficacy, as bacteria are becoming resistant to the very antibiotics that once easily eradicated them. Despite the urgency of this crisis, innovation in the pharmaceutical sector is insufficient in delivering the much-needed development of, and access to, effective treatments.
In face of this predicament, actors from public health, industry and policy are currently questioning and revising the frameworks that guide how essential medicines are developed, valued, and deployed across society. Developing effective medicines is not just a technical, but a societal challenge.
Christian Haddad and his team will introduce the work on this matter conducted in the ERC Starting Grant Project ALTERBIOTIC. The project investigates current efforts to rebuild the antimicrobial innovation ecosystem by examining how key actors from science, industry, and policy imagine and pursue robust solutions to the antibiotics poly-crisis.
Everyone interested is welcome to join the talk and discussion.
Location: Department of Sociology, Seminar Room 3 (1st floor), Rooseveltplatz 2
