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Antibiotics
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.

Computer illustration of an orange e.coli
Computer illustration of an orange e.coli
Quiz

Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs

How worried should we be?

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Quiz

Without new antibiotics, the superbugs will keep winning. Take this 5-question quiz about the growing and urgent threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

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