Antibiotics are one of the greatest success stories in modern medicine. Although we associate them with treating acute infections, these drugs underpin much of health care—from routine surgical procedures to organ transplants and cancer treatment. Unfortunately, the history of antibiotics is a race between innovation and resistance. As innovative science furnishes novel drugs, bacterial evolution can quickly render them ineffective.
Pew addresses the growing public health challenge of multidrug-resistant infections by supporting policies that encourage the development of antibiotics to treat life-threatening illnesses and that preserve the effectiveness of existing antibiotics by ensuring that they are used appropriately.
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Article
December 17, 2024Health Data Tool Helps Remove Barriers to Effective Antibiotic Stewardship
Research shows that about one-third of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions are unnecessary, but the Outpatient Automated Stewardship Information System (OASIS), a tool launched by a team in Colorado in...
Trust Magazine
November 22, 2024How Preventing Antibiotic Overuse Is Helping Fight Superbugs
Antibiotics have revolutionized modern medicine by making it possible to prevent and treat previously life-threatening infections, but their overuse and misuse can cause bacteria to mutate and develop...
Article
November 11, 2024Improved Antibiotic Use Will Keep People Healthier
Dr. Shantel Hébert-Magee is the Chief Medical Officer of Louisiana Medicaid, and Kolynda Parker is the state’s Medicaid deputy director for program operations and compliance. As part of the leadership...
Article
September 25, 2024It's Time to Sound the Alarm on Superbugs
The United Nations General Assembly’s first high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 2016 was a pivotal moment, highlighting the scope and urgency of this public health crisis. The meeting...
Antibiotic Innovation
The history of antibiotics is cyclical: Drugs are developed, but bacterial evolution can soon render them ineffective in treating infections. Antibiotic resistance is fueled by the injudicious use of...
Article
July 15, 2024World Health Organization Warns That Antibiotic Innovation Still Insufficient
The global antibiotic pipeline remains woefully inadequate in the face of increasing antibiotic resistance, according to a recent assessment from the World Health Organization (WHO).
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