Lyme Disease: Has Big Pharma Stopped The Clock On A Cure?

Though vastly underreported, new cases of Lyme in the US total more than 300,000 a year; its incidence now exceeds infections for far more visible conditions like HIV. A higher profile for Lyme is hobbled by a slow and distorted institutional response, especially among clinicians who disagree on whether Lyme is one disease or a complex constellation of many – much like cancer, but without the commitment.

Tick_1200

The fight against infectious disease presents a revealing truth to medical practice: as hard as it is to understand the intricate variations in the life cycle of a single pathogen, it is harder still to understand the larger effects from that pathogen’s relationship to its even more complex human hosts. Ultimate success in finding new treatments depends on how well researchers relate to the environmental factors that shape – and often distort – interactions between the pathogen and the patient. These include the mode of transmission, the distinctiveness of symptoms and the capacity to identify and diagnose the illness in normal clinical practice. Remove these from the physician playbook and you have the makings of a crisis in the administration of care – one where a transmissible condition is known to exist but for which there is no accompanying consensus on a single source of contagion or on the various ways it presents in the human population.

Medical practice now has that crisis – and it’s happening in real time. The culprit is Lyme disease, which since...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on In Vivo for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required

More from Innovation

Finding The Fire: AltruBio’s Novel Approach To Autoimmune Disease

 
• By 

CEO Judy Chou brings big pharma experience to tackle chronic inflammation with the company's first-in-class PSGL-1 targeting therapy.

Late-Stage GLP-1 Drug Trials Outside The Cardiometabolic Space

 
• By 

A look at Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly and other companies' late-stage clinical studies of GLP-1 drugs in indications ranging from neurodegeneration to oncology, and alcoholic liver disease to autoimmune conditions.

AI In Health Delivery: Patients Most Confident When HCPs Are In Charge

 
• By 

Annual survey of patients and professionals shows how attitudes to health system transformation are evolving and what stakeholders are demanding as acceptance of AI tools accelerates.

Medtech Innovators Court London-Based Investors At BioWales 2025

 
• By 

BioWales in London 2025 showcased the efforts healthtech innovators are making to meet investors on their own turf, illustrating changing attitudes and evolving needs.

More from In Vivo

AI In Health Delivery: Patients Most Confident When HCPs Are In Charge

 
• By 

Annual survey of patients and professionals shows how attitudes to health system transformation are evolving and what stakeholders are demanding as acceptance of AI tools accelerates.

Medtech Innovators Court London-Based Investors At BioWales 2025

 
• By 

BioWales in London 2025 showcased the efforts healthtech innovators are making to meet investors on their own turf, illustrating changing attitudes and evolving needs.

Rising Leaders 2025: Metsera’s Whit Bernard’s Musical Path To Biotech Leadership

 
• By 

Metsera CEO Whit Bernard applies an unconventional leadership philosophy to develop next-generation obesity therapeutics, including monthly GLP-1 injections and oral peptides.