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Phage International, Inc. was formed in July of 2004 to
leverage bacteriophage therapy
technologies. Many of these have been developed in countries that were members of the
former Soviet Union. The business interests of Phage International are in the realms of
bacteriophage-based human therapy to combat drug-resistant pathogens and in new areas of
application and use in agriculture. Bacteriophage research is experiencing a second
renaissance because of the improved appreciation of phages’ ubiquity and prevalence
in nature, as well as a rekindled public and scientific interest in potential phage
applications against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The company is positioned to establish
the necessary relationships required to bring to market a number of human
bacteriophage-based therapies to treat drug-resistant infections. The company’s
goal is to become a primary enabler of phage therapy.
The Medical Problem and Opportunity
Bacterial infections that were once believed conquered are coming back because of a new
breed of germs that doctors call "superbugs" -- bacteria that are resistant to
almost all antibiotics. The latest culprit is called MRSA, a staph bacteria that triggers
infections so virulent that they can - and have - turned deadly within days. In the United
States and globally, many infectious germs, including those that cause tuberculosis,
pneumonia, ear infections, acne, gonorrhea, urinary tract infections, and meningitis, can
now outwit some of the most commonly used antibiotics and their synthetic counterparts,
antimicrobial drugs. We may well be seeing only the tip of the iceberg according to
the US Food and Drug Administration.
Bacteriophage therapies could provide a solution to the growing worldwide problem
of drug-resistant bacterial infections. Most of the western world is unfamiliar
with bacteriophage therapies, yet the Soviet Union successfully used these treatments for
decades to cure a myriad of bacterial infections that include drug-resistant and otherwise
difficult-to-treat strains of Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Enterococcus,
E.coli, and Salmonella – to name a few. |
