Research and Development of Antibiotics: The Next Battleground

Antibiotic research has been hindered by a perfect storm consisting of scientific challenges, regulatory uncertainties, difficult markets, and industrial consolidation. At the same time, antibiotic resistance is making the medical need for a robust antibiotic pipeline ever more urgent. The Food and Drug Administration in the United States, following their European colleagues, has made important progress in correcting its position as part of this perfect storm and in providing less expensive and streamlined pathways for antibiotic development. But the economics of antibiotic development and marketing remains a potential stumbling block to reinvigorating antibiotic research within the pharmaceutical industry. The current situation is reviewed in this viewpoint article.