"Big Pharma" is working on new antibiotics all the time. Unfortunately, with antibiotic pressure on the bugs since the 50's, the little buggers are evolving / mutating at a faster rate than the approval process by the FDA. Stage I thru whatever clinical trials take longer and longer, meanwhile the bacteria are developing resistance. Don't see ads for antibiotics? Look through a current issue of the New EnglandJournal of Medicine or Journal of the American Medical Assn. there are the ads. Besides, it's a lot easier to ask doctor for "Something to make me feel better, like the xanax my neighbor's taking" instead of "Gimme Gorillacillin(TM) for my UTI."
Besides, most of the 'take for life' meds come off patent eventually. The antibiotics also, just by the time they do, a lot of the bacteria have moved on.
No conspiracy here, just a different business model mixed w/ biology.
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"Big Pharma" is working on new antibiotics all the time. Unfortunately, with antibiotic pressure on the bugs since the 50's, the little buggers are evolving / mutating at a faster rate than the approval process by the FDA. Stage I thru whatever clinical trials take longer and longer, meanwhile the bacteria are developing resistance. Don't see ads for antibiotics? Look through a current issue of the New EnglandJournal of Medicine or Journal of the American Medical Assn. there are the ads. Besides, it's a lot easier to ask doctor for "Something to make me feel better, like the xanax my neighbor's taking" instead of "Gimme Gorillacillin(TM) for my UTI." Besides, most of the 'take for life' meds come off patent eventually. The antibiotics also, just by the time they do, a lot of the bacteria have moved on. No conspiracy here, just a different business model mixed w/ biology.