The new antibiotic killing drug-resistant bacteria

Superbugs are pathogens that have proved resistant to medications designed to combat them, rendering standard treatments ineffective.

Scientists from the frontline discuss the future of antibiotics and superbugs

Superbugs are a very real problem, but researchers around the world are working to advance our understanding of these pathogens and develop new medicines. This podcast talks with several scientists on the frontier of superbug research, offering insight into what we know—and what the future of medicine may look like.

The most critical superbug strains (as of 2024)

The World Health Organization updated its list of the highest priority pathogens known to have developed antimicrobial resistance. Topping the 2024 update is Acinetobacter baumannii, carbapenem-resistant ("CRAB"), which has a mortality rate close to 50% and has evolved defenses against last-line medications. Download the full report here.

Two-thirds of antibiotic classes were made between the 1940s and 1960s

The vast majority of bacterial treatments were developed during the "Golden Age of Antibiotics," an era of rapid innovation and drug discovery that led to the reduction of millions of deaths worldwide. Since 1970, only eight new antibiotic classes have been discovered.

It can take 10 to 15 years and more than $1B to develop a new antibiotic.

Why don't we just develop new antibiotics? In part, it's a complex scientific challenge, but market incentives also play a significant role. It can be time consuming, expensive, and most notably, we should use as little as possible to avoid driving further antibiotic resistance.

COVID accelerated antibiotic resistance

The COVID-19 pandemic was caused by a virus, and viruses can’t be treated with antibiotics. But recent research finds that COVID patients were given a tremendous amount of antibiotics, contributing to the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Why? This NPR feature sheds light on an unexpected side effect of the pandemic.

Drug-resistant infections worldwide have increased by about 65% since 2000

Since 1990, antibiotic resistance has claimed at least one million lives annually and is projected to account for 39 million deaths between now and 2050 if current trends continue. The expanded use of antibiotics, particularly in agriculture, combined with a slowing pipeline of new drugs has led to the crisis.

Roughly 80% of US antibiotics sold each year go to agricultural use

Antibiotics have long been used in agriculture to treat diseases in animals and plants. However, antibiotics are also often misused, to treat non-bacterial diseases, to encourage growth in animals, and more. This expansive use of antibiotics has become one of the primary sources of the emergence of new superbugs.

More than 39 million people are expected to die from antimicrobial resistance by 2050

In 2024, researchers published an incredibly detailed study aimed at predicting the real-world impact of antimicrobial resistance over the next 25 years. The key findings were clear: the superbug crisis is poised to get much worse and needs to be addressed. This article offers a clear, concise overview of the study, which was published in The Lancet.

The international agreement to address antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance has become an increasingly glaring problem for both health and agriculture. In 2024, the United Nations announced a new suite of clear actions and targets that—taken together with existing efforts—can help address superbugs in a meaningful way and on a global scale. This page from the UN lays out these efforts, with links to additional information on the many aspects of the initiative.

Superbugs could claim 1.9 million lives per year by 2050

The increased use of antibiotics combined with an aging population, is projected to result in an almost 50% increase in global deaths from antimicrobial resistance each year. At the same time, antibiotic use for livestock is expected to increase by 30% over the same time frame.

Penicillin was hailed as a 'wonder drug' upon its release

When penicillin became widely available in the 1940s, newspapers and doctors alike celebrated it as a “wonder drug” that could cure infections once considered fatal.

Penicillin is considered one of history’s greatest medical breakthroughs

Experts widely rank penicillin’s discovery among the most important advances in medicine. It launched the antibiotic era, transformed once-deadly infections into treatable illnesses.

Antimicrobial resistance is responsible for 1.3 million deaths each year

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat, driven by the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals, and more. Estimates suggest superbugs could lead to $1T in healthcare costs by 2050, and the world faces a shortage of new drug development to meet the challenge.

Penicillin’s discoverer predicted antibiotic resistance

Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin revolutionized modern medicine. But the same man who pioneered the development of antibiotics also recognized that bacteria could make sntibiotics obsolete if they were used irresponsibly. This story sheds light on Fleming’s discovery—and on his prophetic warning about antibiotic resistance.

Penicillin has saved an estimated 500 million lives since its creation

Since its introduction in the 1940s, penicillin and related antibiotics are estimated to have saved around 500 million lives worldwide—making it one of the most consequential medical breakthroughs in human history.

Bacteria rapidly evolve (and share) new defenses against drugs they encounter

Unlike humans, bacteria rapidly make genetic changes in response to their environment, including creating defense against antibiotics. Furthermore, these defenses are passed on to their future generations and can even be shared with neighboring bacteria through horizontal gene transfer.

Drug-resistant staph infection is one of the deadliest superbugs, killing more than 120,000 people globally each year.

Overuse of antibiotics gives bacteria more opportunity to evolve their defenses

The overuse and misuse of antibiotics are significant contributors to the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Experts say antibiotics should only be used for specific medical problems, and patients need to be sure to take antibiotics exactly as prescribed in order to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global health problem

Over decades, bacteria have grown increasingly resistant to antibiotics. This resistance now causes an estimated 1.27 million deaths each year and is associated with nearly 5 million deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

Resistant infections are no longer isolated and can spread worldwide

What does the rise of antibiotic resistance mean in practical terms? Maryn McKenna is a journalist at the forefront of covering antibiotic resistance since 2007. In this TED talk, McKenna lays out the very real consequences of antibiotic resistance—and what needs to be done to address the problem.

Superbugs evolve defenses against medication, then share them with neighbors

One reason antibiotic resistance spreads so quickly is that bacteria have multiple mechanisms allowing them to share genetic material. This short video offers a concise explanation for each of these mechanisms, and animation that helps viewers understand how antimicrobial resistance can quickly spread from one organism to another.

Oxford scientists turned Fleming’s mold discovery into medicine

In 1939, a team at Oxford—including Howard Florey, Ernst Chain, and Norman Heatley—revived Fleming’s forgotten discovery. Using makeshift equipment like bedpans and milk churns, they purified enough penicillin to prove it could treat deadly infections.

Bacteriophages—viruses that infect bacteria before multiplying within them—exist on Earth in numbers greater than all other living organisms combined.

Advanced drugs are closing in on cancer's deadliest mutations

The protein KRAS, mutated in many cancers, was deemed ‘undruggable’. Now scientists are hoping to save lives with a batch of new compounds that target it.

Tips for reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is bad news. But there are lots of things you can do to both protect yourself from superbugs and help keep the problem of antimicrobial resistance from getting worse. This page from the CDC offers clear, straightforward guidelines that can help keep you—and your loved ones—healthy.

It took 14 years to deploy penicillin after its discovery

Despite its promise, US production of penicillin remained minimal in 1942—enough to treat fewer than 100 patients nationwide. Within two years, output expanded into millions of doses to supply troops for D-Day.

A new daily MS pill is seeking regulatory approval in 2026

In clinical trials, Roche's fenebrutinib showed promise treating primary progressive MS and doubling relapse-free time in patients with relapsing MS as compared to existing treatment. But some liver damage and two possible drug-related deaths in the trials may make it difficult for the drug to net approval. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Women's wartime suit features silk dyed with CRISPR-modified bacteria

Anna Dumitriu's bioart piece was created to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first use of penicillin in a human patient and intends to raise awareness about the rapid development of antibiotic-resistant pathogens by using bacteria that have essentially been transformed into their pre-antibiotic era state.

Penicillin’s pioneers were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1945

Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, and Ernst Chain received the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering and developing penicillin.

Explore the history of antibiotics with 'This Podcast Will Kill You'

The show blends medical history with storytelling and science. In Episode 50, the hosts trace the dramatic origins of antibiotics—from Fleming's moldy petri dish to Florey's wartime labs—and explore their lasting impact on health.

How scientists are using molecules found in acidophiles to develop new medical treatments

The Berkeley Pit, an open-pit copper mine in Butte, Montana, that ceased operations in 1982 and is now filled with highly acidic water, is home to various species of fungi and yeast. These extremophiles produce unique compounds that may have anti-inflammatory benefits and have already been used to create an antibiotic for staph infections.

At a 2026 cancer conference, news that a novel pancreatic cancer drug doubled survival times in clinical trials led to a standing ovation.

Using mosquitoes to vaccinate bats could curb the spread of deadly diseases.

View the industrial applications of extremozymes, from food safety to antibiotic production

Extremophiles possess unique enzymes and organic molecules that have enabled them to adapt to and thrive in otherwise lethal environments. Because these conditions resemble those found in various areas of manufacturing and production plants, these organisms and their macromolecules can optimize industrial processes where conventional catalysts would lose their ability to speed up reactions.

Pneumonia was once a leading killer before penicillin treatments

In the early 20th century, pneumonia was a top cause of death worldwide, often fatal without effective treatment. Penicillin turned a once deadly infection into one of the most treatable bacterial diseases.

A physician with a rare and deadly disease saved his own life by identifying an existing medication that he repurposed for his condition, and now he's using AI to try to do the same for other patients.

Research on bacterial cultures used in yogurt production led to CRISPR's discovery

Scientists learned it was a microbial immune system that could be repurposed to protect dairy cultures from viruses. Today, nearly all yogurt is made with CRISPRized bacteria, as are genetically modified crops like herbicide-resistant corn, wheat, and soy.

Penicillin slashed battlefield pneumonia deaths during World War II

Before antibiotics, bacterial pneumonia killed about 18% of infected soldiers in World War I. By World War II, penicillin cut that death rate to less than 1%.

Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium being employed to fight dengue

Scientists are fighting dengue spread in a roundabout way: injecting bacteria into Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs, which blocks the dengue virus from replicating in the tissue of mosquitoes. Researchers hope the bacterium will be passed to future generations, inoculating them against dengue. Wolbachia is also being investigated to combat other mosquito-borne diseases.

Examining the potential of the emerging field of insect-based bioremediation

Also known as entomoremediation, the novel approach uses larvae and adult insects, including their gut microbiomes and associated enzymes, to extract or degrade pollutants. As of 2025, research has shown that black soldier flies can degrade a wide range of antibiotics, highlighting their potential for bioremediating antibiotic-contaminated organic waste.

More than 200 drug trials for Alzheimer's have failed or been abandoned since 2010, but two anti-amyloid infusion medications have netted FDA approval in recent years.

Why bacterial bioremediation may help counter the negative effects of past chemical solutions

Molecules such as DDT, a synthetic insecticide, and PFAS—"forever" chemicals used to make products resistant to heat, water, and grease—have historically been used across various industries but are now known to be harmful. Microbes that can convert some of these substances into nontoxic products, such as water and carbon dioxide, have already been identified, with ongoing research to find others.

Penicillin works by attacking the cell walls of bacteria

Penicillin targets bacteria at their weakest point—their cell walls. By blocking wall-building, it leaves microbes unable to survive, causing them to burst and die.

Penicillin was discovered by accident

In 1928, Alexander Fleming returned from vacation to find mold contaminating a petri dish of bacteria. Around the mold, the microbes had died—an accidental observation that led to the discovery of penicillin.

Penicillin production was just behind the atom bomb in wartime priorities

By 1943, the US War Department made penicillin its second-highest priority—just after the Manhattan Project. Producing enough of the antibiotic for the D-Day invasion became a central mission of Allied science and industry.

Researchers are breeding genetically modified mosquitoes to be malaria-resistant.

See the evolution of Ebola vaccine and treatment development.

US FDA recently approved the first new schizophrenia drug in decades

Though other antipsychotics block dopamine receptors, a new drug, Cobenfy, influences dopamine levels via a different pathway—it stimulates a pair of specialized receptors in the brain that control the release of a substance called acetylcholine. This alternative approach may help patients avoid serious side effects like weight gain. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

The pharmaceutical industry evolved, in part, from the discovery of synthetic dyes

In 1856, a chemist accidentally discovered mauveine, the world's first synthetic dye, while trying to make quinine to treat malaria. The synthetic dyes that followed helped reveal germs under microscopes, paving the way for modern imaging techniques and breakthrough treatments, such as antibiotics.