Chapter 853 Broad-spectrum Cefuroxime
Facing the questions from several deans, Lin Sanqi quickly explained:
“Teachers, this is what I think. I already have several projects overseas, so I need to organize some support projects.
Let me give you an example. This country has a large land area and a large population, but its domestic economic, industrial and scientific research conditions are extremely poor and it has nothing.
If I were to provide antibiotics to such a poor country, which types or categories would I recommend first? They should have a broad antimicrobial spectrum, be low-cost, and be capable of large-scale production.
Dean Wang was a little puzzled. "Are there big countries in Africa? Aren't there just small countries fighting each other all the time?"
Dean Xie Lei said with disdain:
"Africa still has regional giants, such as Algeria, North Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, all of which have an area of more than two million square kilometers, equivalent to more than 20 Zhejiang provinces. Do you think they are big enough?
However, although these countries are large, their populations are not large. The largest, Congo, has just over 100 million people. Moreover, they are extremely poor and have very poor population quality. Our medical system receives targeted support every year."
Dean Zhang Yuezheng of the School of Pharmacy pondered for a moment and gave Lin Sanqi an analysis from a professional perspective:
“Currently, there are many types of antibiotics in clinical use, including β-lactams, macrolides, tetracyclines, lincomycins, peptides, aminoglycosides, quinolones, and sulfonamides.
The most widely used drugs should be β-lactams, including penicillin, cephalosporins, as well as β-lactamase inhibitors and combination preparations, such as cephalosporins, amoxicillin, etc.
Among them, β-lactam antibiotics have a broad antibacterial spectrum and are effective against various infections caused by Gram-positive cocci and Gram-negative bacteria. This should be more in line with your broad-spectrum requirements.
But if you want to help a country build a complete antibiotic system, other types of antibiotics are also indispensable, because each type of antibiotic has its own strengths.
For example, for infections caused by mycoplasma and chlamydia, macrolides are needed, including erythromycin, azithromycin, and roxithromycin.
If it is against Gram-positive cocci and anaerobic bacteria infections, lincomycin still has a very good therapeutic effect, including lincomycin, clindamycin, etc.
Oh yes, there is also a commonly used antibacterial drug called quinolone, which has very good efficacy against Escherichia coli, Shigella dysenteriae, Klebsiella, Staphylococcus aureus, etc.
For example, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin are broad-spectrum antibiotics.
There is also norfloxacin, also known as fluphenazine. It was regarded as a miracle drug by the people in the past. It can cure diarrhea, wound infection, and pneumonia.
As for the relatively unpopular aminoglycosides, sulfonamides, tetracyclines, and extremely expensive peptides like vancomycin, which have significant side effects, these poor areas can simply not consider them.
President Wang also pointed out:
"If you are preparing for poor countries, where citizens have almost no exposure to antibiotics, this is actually an advantage. You can use any antibiotic and achieve the best results because there is no drug resistance.
So don't be greedy. For each type of medicine, you can choose a representative drug, build the framework first, and then gradually expand the drug categories when conditions permit in the future. This way, you won't spend much money."
Lin Sanqi quickly refilled the tea for the deans and humbly asked:
"For example? How do I choose?"
Dean Zhang tapped the table with his fingers, then picked up the teacup and thought:
"The cheapest thing right now is penicillin. I remember one ton of penicillin sodium API costing around 200,000 to 300,000 yuan, which is very cheap. One ton of penicillin API can produce 2 million bottles of penicillin, enough for Africans.
However, the purity of this penicillin is questionable, and it's very easy to cause infusion reactions. If you think African lives are worthless and you don't have to pay compensation if they die, you can use it. But I feel it's against my conscience, and I still have to use good raw materials."
Dean Lou said impatiently at this time:
"Why do we need penicillin? This isn't the Republic of China era. Penicillin was a life-saving drug. Now that clinical penicillin has been upgraded, who would use the regular kind?
The drugs used are azlocillin, mezlocillin, amoxicillin, piperacillin, etc. If the quality is to be guaranteed, the raw materials of these drugs are not cheap.
If you ask me, it is better to just use cephalosporin. It has a similar antibacterial spectrum and is safer. It does not require a skin test, is easy to use, and the raw materials are not expensive.
Although Sanqi is a company, the drugs it releases represent China. We cannot afford to embarrass ourselves internationally. So, if we do use drugs, we should either not use them or use good ones.”
Lin Sanqi nodded slightly, thinking that it was indeed true.
These "anti-inflammatory drugs" were taken from another time and space, and are used by our compatriots. Of course, the Chinese cannot cheat other Chinese people.
Ceftriaxone is indeed a good choice.
The risk of using ordinary penicillin is too high, and the allergy rate or mortality rate has always been high. Many people die from allergic shock during skin tests.
Wouldn't this damage the merits of Lin Sanqi?
Dean Zhang Shengjian of the School of Inspection and Biotechnology also nodded and said:
"Yes, cephalexin is better. It is now recommended to be taken orally, which is more convenient. If you use injections, you have to train a group of nurses to give injections, which is not suitable for African conditions."
"Yes, it's still cefuroxime."
"I also think cephalexin is better than penicillin."
The other deans also agreed, but Lin Sanqi still had questions:
"There are many types of cephalosporins. Which one should I choose that is safe, affordable, and has the best value for money?"
Dean Zhang thought for a moment and replied:
“There are now four generations of cephalosporins.
For example, the first generation of cephalosporins usually include cefazolin, cephalexin, etc. These drugs generally have better antibacterial activity against positive bacteria.
Second-generation cephalosporins usually include cefuroxime, cefaclor, etc., which are effective for various infections caused by Gram-positive cocci and Gram-negative bacilli.
Third-generation cephalosporins, including ceftriaxone and ceftriaxone, are more active against Gram-negative bacteria.
As for fourth-generation cephalosporins, such as cefpirome and cefepime, they are generally used for moderate to severe infections and have the best efficacy, but they are very expensive and not suitable for promotion in Africa."
Dean Lou was getting impatient: "I'm dizzy after all this talk. You're not trying to figure out the numbers, are you? Just tell me which cephalosporin you'd choose."
Dean Zhang burst into laughter and then made the decision:
"Let's choose cefuroxime. It's a second-generation cephalosporin that's effective against both positive and negative bacteria. After all, what Africans need is a broad-spectrum antibiotic.
In addition, you can also choose the most commonly used moxifloxacin and azithromycin. These three drugs can almost cover the most common bacteria and treat most diseases.
As for infections caused by certain special bacteria, we can only leave it to fate. Whether it can be cured or not, so be it. We have no obligation to provide Africans with meticulous service.
How many poor people in our country are unable to get medical assistance due to lack of medical care and medicine, and cannot even take care of their own family affairs, yet they still want to save foreigners?
I don't agree with this viewpoint. It's too philanthropic. It's like a child selling his father's land without any regret, but now he just gives away things that are not his own? He's raising a group of ungrateful people."
After hearing this, Lin Sanqi quickly waved his hands and denied it:
"Teacher Zhang, I'm wronged. I never thought about saving African lives. This is all a business. I want to sell domestic products, so I have to have a good relationship with them.
Besides, I'm not selling drugs for free. I'm going to make a killing. I won't do business that would lose money, haha."
Dean Zhang took a sip of tea and corrected:
"I'm not talking about you, but the current unhealthy trends in the country.
For example, some companies invested hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in Africa, only to have all their investments go to waste when the domestic situation in Africa becomes turbulent.
I'd say this kind of corporate investment is simply a crime. No pre-planning or risk assessment? No remedial measures afterward? Is the investment so blind?
I really don't understand. As a teacher, I know the risks are huge, so how could they not see it?"
Dean Wang was also very angry after hearing this:
"What else could it be? There must be something fishy going on here. Do you really think they're stupid? They were smart enough to advocate investing in Africa, but they manipulated it, and who knows how much money went into their own pockets. It's the public and the company's money that's being lost."
Lin Sanqi broke out in a cold sweat, thinking that you old guys are really bold, so he quickly changed the subject and said:
"Teachers, everything is ready in the restaurant. Today we have Tibetan pigs, yak meat, and mountain goats. They're all freshly slaughtered and very fresh."
Dean Wang was delighted when he heard this: "Alright, let's put state affairs aside for the delicious food. Haha, Sanqi, bring the Moutai!"
"Okay, plenty of Moutai~~~"
(End of this chapter)
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