A century ago, antibiotics transformed medicine. What were once deadly infections suddenly became curable, ushering in an era where surgery, childbirth, and even everyday cuts carried far less risk. Unfortunately, that medical miracle is now under threat. Across the world, doctors and healthcare systems are facing a silent epidemic: antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

 The ability of microorganisms to resist the effects of medication has led to a significant increase in untreatable infections, posing a serious threat to public health and the effectiveness of modern medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes at least 1.27 million deaths globally to AMR annually,1 while the World Bank projects $1 trillion in additional healthcare costs in the U.S. alone by 2050.2 AMR has quickly become one of the most pressing health and economic challenges of our time.

How We Got Here

Antimicrobial resistance is a naturally occurring phenomenon. This evolutionary process occurs when bacteria undergo genetic changes that enable them to neutralize, evade, or expel antibiotics, the very drugs designed to kill them. Each time bacteria encounter these powerful drugs, a few survive—mutating in ways that help them withstand future attacks.

In addition to natural evolution helping bacteria survive antibiotics, doctors have often prescribed antibiotics “just in case,” even for viral infections like colds or the flu, where they have no effect. And in agriculture, antibiotics have been added to animal feed to prevent disease and promote growth, exposing entire bacterial populations to unnecessary treatments. And international travel and global food supply chains have allowed resistant strains to spread faster than ever before.

This overuse and misuse of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture has accelerated the evolution process of these bacteria, leading to the emergence of “superbugs” that are resistant to multiple antibiotics.

The Human Cost 

Even if you’re in good health, antibiotic resistance can turn a minor injury, routine surgery, or a common lung infection into a life-threatening situation. By 2050, AMR is expected to kill 10 million people annually if no action is taken.3 But the human cost of AMR isn’t measured only in lives lost:

  • Prolonged hospital stays separate patients from their loved ones.
  • Severe side effects from last-resort antibiotics can cause kidney damage or hearing loss.
  • Delayed medical care can increase poor outcomes, as surgeries and treatments are postponed until infection risks are lower.
  • There is an emotional toll on patients and their families from the uncertainty of not knowing if or when effective treatment will be found, the stress of increased financial cost of treatment, and the trauma of extended illness.

Fragile Foundations of Modern Medicine

Perhaps the most profound human cost is the way AMR threatens the safety net of modern healthcare itself. Many routine medical advances—organ transplants, joint replacements, neonatal care—depend on antibiotics to keep patients safe from infection. Without reliable drugs, these procedures become riskier, and sometimes impossible.

For patients, antibiotic resistance can change lives in an instant. A urinary tract infection that once cleared in a few days may now linger for weeks, even after multiple rounds of treatment. Pneumonia patients may find themselves admitted to the ICU because standard antibiotics fail. In some countries, common childhood infections like ear infections or strep throat are already resistant to first-line drugs.

And the economic burden—longer hospital stays, more intensive treatments, and lost productivity—adds billions to healthcare costs.

A Growing Burden on Our Healthcare System

The ripple effect of AMR reverberates far beyond hospital budgets, impacting public health outcomes and stretching the capacity of health systems at large. Resistant infections often require second- or third-line therapies, which are significantly more expensive than first-line antibiotics. When those fail, patients may need intravenous treatments, prolonged hospital stays, or admission to intensive care.

 For health systems, AMR infections undermine quality metrics such as readmission rates, length of stay, and infection-control benchmarks. For payers, the rising cost of claim reimbursements tied to resistant infections places additional pressure on premiums and long-term financial sustainability. The CDC estimates that in the United States alone, antibiotic resistance adds more than $4.6 billion annually to direct healthcare costs.4 For health systems and payers already facing tight margins, this trajectory is unsustainable.

Turning the Tide Against AMR

Despite the grim statistics, this is not a hopeless fight. Around the world, efforts are underway to combat AMR and protect the effectiveness of existing drugs.

  • Antibiotic Stewardship: Hospitals are creating programs to guide doctors in prescribing antibiotics only when needed, and for the shortest effective duration.
  • Global Action: Governments and organizations are beginning to restrict the agricultural use of antibiotics and invest in surveillance systems to track resistant strains.
  • Public Responsibility: Patients also play a crucial role—by not pressuring doctors for unnecessary prescriptions, completing prescribed courses, and practicing simple prevention measures like handwashing and vaccination.
  • Treatment Innovations: Scientists are racing to develop promising new therapies in the fight against AMR. As a pioneering company in the field of AMR research, TAXIS Pharmaceuticals plays a significant role in this global fight. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and a deep understanding of microbial behavior, TAXIS is developing novel investigational therapeutics focused on disrupting the bacterial cell functions and bacterial cell wall architecture. These innovative therapeutic approaches represent a paradigm shift from traditional methods, offering a more sustainable and effective way to combat bacterial infections.

Confronting the Challenge

The rapidly increasing rate of AMR around the globe is not only a medical crisis—it is a financial one that threatens to destabilize healthcare delivery. Addressing it requires investment today in stewardship, innovation, and prevention, to avoid paying a much higher price tomorrow.

The cost of inaction is clear: either redouble our efforts to outsmart evolving microbes or risk returning to a pre-antibiotic era where common infections are once again deadly. Fortunately, advances in biotech are lighting a path forward, inspiring hope that the ingenuity fueling the first antibiotic revolution can be rekindled for the challenges ahead.

References:

  1. World Health Organization. ”Antimicrobial Resistance Key Facts.” 21 Nov. 2023, World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antimicrobial-resistance. Accessed September 2, 2025.
  2. World Bank. “Drug-Resistant Infections: A Threat to Our Economic Future.” Washington, DC: World Bank, 2017. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/323311493396993758/drug-resistant-infections-a-threat-to-our-economic-future. Accessed September 2, 2025.
  3. Naghavi, Mohsen, et al. “Global Burden of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance 1990–2021: A Systematic Analysis with Forecasts to 2050.” The Lancet, published online 16 Sept. 2024, doi:10.1016/S0140‑6736(24)01867‑1. Accessed September 2, 2025.
  4. United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “CDC Partners Estimate Healthcare Cost of Antimicrobial‑Resistant Infections.” Antimicrobial Resistance, 4 Feb. 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/antimicrobial-resistance/stories/partner-estimates.html. Accessed September 2, 2025.