Antibiotics are truly miracle drugs. As a class, they are one of the only ones that actually cure disease as opposed to most drugs that only help relieve symptoms or control disease. Since bacteria that cause serious disease in humans are becoming more and more resistant to the antibiotics we have today, and because they will ultimately become resistant to any antibiotic that we use for treatment or for anything else, we need a steady supply of new antibiotics active against any resistant bacteria that arise. However, the antibiotics marketplace is no longer attractive for large pharmaceutical companies, the costs of development are skyrocketing because of ever more stringent requirements by the regulatory agencies, and finding new antibiotics active against resistant strains is getting harder and harder. These forces are all combining to deny us these miracle drugs when we need them the most. I provide a number of possible paths to shelter from this perfect storm.

Antibiotics are truly miracle drugs. As a class, they are one of the only ones that actually cure disease as opposed to most drugs that only help relieve symptoms or control disease. Since bacteria that cause serious disease in humans are becoming more and more resistant to the antibiotics we have today, and because they will ultimately become resistant to any antibiotic that we use for treatment or for anything else, we need a steady supply of new antibiotics active against any resistant bacteria that arise. However, the antibiotics marketplace is no longer attractive for large pharmaceutical companies, the costs of development are skyrocketing because of ever more stringent requirements by the regulatory agencies, and finding new antibiotics active against resistant strains is getting harder and harder. These forces are all combining to deny us these miracle drugs when we need them the most. I provide a number of possible paths to shelter from this perfect storm.

Daniel Simon leaves his job as a professor at a Midwestern medical school to work in the pharmaceutical industry because he wants to make a greater and more direct impact in his field. But he soon finds that in his new role, he must contend with petty crooks, fraudsters, and brilliant but money-hungry researchers. There's also the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which seeks to put a regulatory death to what could be lifesaving antibiotics. Whether he's working at a large company, small company or biotechnology company, he sees how they make decisions, conduct research, and earn revenue. Sometimes, he gets caught in turf battles and must deal with inflated egos. With a career and family to think about, Daniel works hard to bring new antibiotics to the market, but he becomes increasingly frustrated by the hurdles that must be overcome. He has his work cut out for him in The Drug Makers.