To prevent the next pandemic, we need new antibiotics

The end of the COVID-19 pandemic is finally in sight.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have received emergency FDA authorization to distribute tens of millions of doses of their vaccines across the country.

This is fantastic news. Unfortunately, the scientific community can’t rest on its laurels. An even worse pandemic is already looming. And this time, developing treatments will prove much more challenging.

This coming pandemic may not stem from a virus, but from drug-resistant bacteria and fungi known as “superbugs.” These microbes already kill 700,000 people worldwide each year and infect millions m...