Numerous antibiotic companies closing down or laying off

The problem of antibiotic resistance has now become a global crisis. Globally, at least 700,000 people die each year from drug-resistant diseases, including 230,000 from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. If no action is taken, the worst-case scenario is that 10 million people worldwide could die each year from drug-resistant diseases by 2050.

Since the invention of penicillin, the battle between humans and bacteria has never ended. As one generation of antibiotics becomes resistant, the next generation tops it off, and it could even be argued that resistance from the misuse of antibiotics is constantly urging the production of new antibiotics to deal with the new problems that come with them. Dr. Schrader, a former representative of the World Health Organization in China, has said that unless immediate action is taken, the world will move toward a post-antibiotic era in which even the common cold can kill a person. Common sense dictates that the misuse of antibiotics has led to public problems, and that drug companies developing antibiotics should be like those developing oncology drugs, which can be a new star on the market whenever a new drug comes to market. But that's far from the case, and drug companies are worried about this hot potato. A little attention to the pharmaceutical industry news will reveal that the most recent news about antibiotics is the bankruptcy of Achaogen, the antibiotic company that successfully developed the fight against drug-resistant superbugs. Global pharmaceutical giants, Novartis, AstraZeneca and Sanofi have also abandoned research into antibiotics and antivirals. This comes after Payne, head of antibiotic R&D at GSK, said: "The return on investment from the existing business model is not commensurate with the effort put in.