Europe funds antiviral resistance research
Work towards overcoming drug resistance of viral diseases has started with funding of €9m (£6m) from the European
Union.
The “Vigilance against viral resistance” (Virgil) project,
launched this week, will start by addressing drug resistance in viral
hepatitis and influenza, but will subsequently broaden its scope to include
other diseases.
An international panel of 55 experts will collate and assess clinical
and research data to monitor the development of viral resistance and
test ways of managing and overcoming it. “The heavy use of antibiotics,
particularly in hospitals, hastens mutations in bacteria which bring
about drug resistance,” said European Research Commissioner Philippe
Busquin. “The same happens in viruses when antiviral drugs are
used extensively.”
The Virgil project complements the
investment by the EU of €30m for research into antimicrobial drug resistance
that has been made over the past two years. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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