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 stimulate and encourage the development of antibiotics to treat life-threatening illnesses. Pew also is working to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics by phasing out the overuse and misuse of the drugs in food animal production.
