Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are one of the greatest health risks facing humanity because they keep multiplying, and antibiotics lose their effectiveness as their use increases.
The Israeli biopharmaceutical company Mileutis based in Ness Ziona is currently considered one of the global pioneers in this field. The company developed a biological preparation designed to treat the most serious health problem of dairy cows - udder infections.
Mileutis CEO David Javier Iscovich founded the company jointly with his father, Dr. Jose Iskovich, an expert epidemiologist, based on the initial technology of the Volcani Institute, the father's research and the expertise of both.
The company emphasizes that the Agriculture Ministry is now examining the possibility of approving the use of Imilac in dairy barns in Israel. When approval is received, the path will be opened to remove antibiotics from dairy products consumed by Israeli citizens.
David stated that there's a silent epidemic that has been defined as a slow tsunami which is going to stop the medical progress of the last hundred years.
Today, about 70% of antibiotics are given to animals. A cycle is created in which they're given antibiotics, the bacteria actually develop resistance inside the biological environment of animals, and then these resistant bacteria pass to humans.
Mileutis has developed a line of biological products based on proteins naturally found in milk. The first product line includes specific peptides (parts of proteins) which increase the activity of the immune system in the udder which enables it to treat and prevent the disease.
According to Mileutis estimates, the market potential of Imilac is about a billion dollars.
Mileutis points to study from The Lancet
The company points to a recent study published in The Lancet which found that 1.27 million people die per year as a direct result of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and the number including indirect cases reaches 4.95 million.
The study stated that in 2050,10 million people will die annually from antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Iskovich said that this is a disaster that's getting closer and pointed to a study conducted by the British government, according to which the economic damage will add up to 100 trillion dollars.
"The most advanced alternative that exists in the world is ours," he said. "Awareness of the issue exists, but at a medium to low level, but we believe that it will increase."