Zachary Rubin

Superbugs: Slowing the Spread of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

Maryn McKenna, Beth Bell, Barry Eisenstein, Lance Price, Zachary Rubin

Unchecked antimicrobial resistance threatens to cause 10 million global deaths and $100 trillion in economic losses by 2050, driven by stalled pharmaceutical innovation, agricultural misuse, and rapid pathogen spread. Critical failures in current stewardship and reimbursement models have allowed superbugs like CRE and MCR-1 to emerge, undermining essential medical procedures from cancer treatment to organ transplantation. Urgent interventions including international data sharing, regulatory incentives for novel antibiotics, and a shift in clinical and agricultural practices are now essential to prevent a post-antibiotic era.