Many blame the lack of investment into new and improved antibiotics as one of the primary causes for the growing resistance to antibiotics. And this is a very astute observation which holds great merit. However, is it fair to blame the pharmaceutical companies that are withdrawing funding for antibiotic research, because it is not profitable?

Pharmaceutical companies are not, not for profit organisations. They are commercial businesses, and as such, have a range of shareholders to whom they are responsible. Each time a new CEO or managing director is appointed, or a new department head promoted they are geared to maximise profit and efficiency.

Medicine is an interesting industry, on the one hand they are providing a public good,on the other they are paid handsomely for it. When decisions need to be made about what drugs to invest in, it is not hard to understand why the most profitable drugs are pursued.

The result is the complete lack of investment into new forms of antibiotics and the growing of antibiotic resistant superbugs. The Chief Medical Officer of the UK, Professor Dame Sally Davies, likens the threat of superbugs with the threat on terrorism. Yet here we are, investing billions in the war machine to “protect” society, yet we are ignoring the existing and more dangerous threat of superbugs.

Is a restructure of the pharmaceutical industry required? Is it even possible for commercial pharmaceutical companies to restructure in order to provide a public good, at the expense of their profits? State driven investment needs to be a greater influence and to support and supplement programs like the Longitude Prize to adequately address the pharmaceutical needs of our society.