Drugmakers Abandon Research Into Antibiotics.
The Boston Globe reports that the drug industry, including such antibiotic pioneers as Eli Lilly and Co. and Wyeth, are putting antibiotics on the back burner in favor of newer drugs that promise bigger profits. Such drugs would fight heartburn, erectile dysfunction, depression, and other chronic illnesses and what experts call "lifestyle" complaints, the paper writes.
This at a time when, more than ever, we need new medications that fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.