[acarl005]

I do agree that incentives are a problem. However, I also see this as a sign that small-molecule antibiotics may not be the most efficient approach for antibiotics in the future. Designing small-molecule pharmacological agents in general is extremely inefficient in terms of time and money, and lacks robust design methods. I was shocked at how much "throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks" (high-throughput screening) was being depended upon to optimize drug leads. Sure, machine learning can help this process a bit, but it's building upon a shaky foundation.

We should be investing in bacteriophage research and other methods more robust to evolving resistance. This will ultimately be more beneficial for the public good. Of course, incentives probably still need to change in order for this research to gain momentum.

[comicjk]

Designing small-molecules is "extremely inefficient" compared to what? We might as well say fishing is inefficient because of all the time spent not reeling in a fish. We should definitely research all plausible alternatives, but nothing in medicine is as convenient as a small-molecule drug that works. So people are going to try to find them.