The economics of drug development are always demanding. Most potential medicines that enter the research and development pipeline never emerge. Regulatory approval is critical to ensure the safety and effectiveness of new medicines, but the impact of regulatory burdens can weigh particularly heavily on medicines like antibiotics, which can have a lower profit potential than so called "blockbuster" drugs. We can encourage manufacturers to invest in developing new antibiotics by changing the incentives they face. Options such as increasing public investments in the basic science of antibiotics, ensuring a stable regulatory system, and extending marketing protections can reduce the costs of developing new antibiotics. But we cannot outrun the problem of resistance by developing new antibiotics. Stewardship of existing drugs, new drugs, and even entire drug classes is necessary to maintain their value.


The new drug development process is an obstacle course. On its way to the market, a new medicine faces roadblocks at every turn.– Pharmaceutical researchers Dr. Mike Dunne and Dr. Paul Miller.

Read about why they have devoted their careers to finding new antibiotic drugs, as well as the challenges they face.