David Shlaes, author of Antibiotics, The Perfect Storm (Springer) and The Drug Makers (Lulu), has had a 30-year career in anti-infectives spanning academia and industry – with a long-standing scientific interest in antimicrobial resistance.

David graduated with a PhD and MD from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland and after completing his post-graduate training in 1980, joined the faculty of CWRU in the Division of Infectious Diseases.

He then taught and maintained an active research programme, cared for patients and eventually became Professor of Medicine.

David left academia in 1996 to become Vice President for Infectious Diseases at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals where he led the development of tigecycline. In 1998, he was the cover feature in the April issue of Business Week dedicated to antibiotics research. He also was a member of the Forum for Emerging Infections of the National Academy of Sciences for seven years.
David became Executive Vice President of R&D at Idenix Pharmaceuticals in 2002, a company focused on the discovery and development of antivirals. Three years later he established the consulting company, Anti-Infectives Consulting.

During his consulting years, David contributed significantly to the development of avibactam and the discovery and development of lefamulin. He also consulted for a number of anti-infective focused biotechs and several large pharma companies.

David has been an independent director for Novexel, an anti-infectives biotech in Paris, now sold to AstraZeneca.

He has published extensively in the areas of antibiotic resistance and R&D and is regularly invited to speak at international conferences.

David has since retired from Anti-infectives Consulting. He remains an editor for Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, writes a blog – Antibiotics the Perfect Storm – and remains active in antibiotic policy areas.