Lexington, MA, June 24, 2008 -- Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBST) today announced that Barry Eisenstein M.D., Cubist's Senior Vice President, Scientific Affairs, testified before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance. Dr. Eisenstein called on Congress to implement comprehensive policies to address the serious consequences of antimicrobial resistance '?" including the need to address this growing public health crisis and incentives for manufacturers to develop new antibiotics.
During the hearing, Emergence of the Superbug: Antimicrobial Resistance in the U.S., Dr. Eisenstein testified on the unique challenges in developing antibiotics and the economic disincentives the industry faces when looking to invest the time and resources necessary to develop an antibiotic.
"During the last several decades, the prevalence of antimicrobial resistant organisms in U.S. hospitals and medical centers has increased, to the point where it is a serious and frightening threat to public health, requiring immediate action. Congress must act now to ensure public health by redefining all antibiotic resistance levels based on modern standards and current scientific data," said Dr. Eisenstein.
Dr. Eisenstein's written testimony is posted to our website www.cubist.com in the media section and can be accessed through url: http://www.cubist.com/about/media.php.
About Cubist
Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development, and commercialization of pharmaceutical products that address unmet medical needs in the acute care environment. In the U.S., Cubist markets CUBICIN® (daptomycin for injection), the first antibiotic in a new class of anti-infectives called lipopeptides. The Cubist product pipeline includes ecallantide, a recombinant human protein in Phase II clinical trials for the prevention of blood loss during cardiothoracic surgery, and pre-clinical programs that address unmet medical needs in Gram-positive infections, Gram-negative infections, CDAD (
Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea), and HCV (Hepatitis C infections). Cubist is headquartered in Lexington, MA. Additional information can be found at Cubist's web site at www.cubist.com.
Cubist and CUBICIN are registered trademarks of Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
###
