RahwayMerck quietly discontinued Recarbrio, a last-resort antibiotic.
It treated resistant hospital pneumonia as the WHO ranks resistance a top global threat.
Drugs held in reserve for resistant infections sell too little to justify production, so large drugmakers exit the field.
The same industry piles patents on high-volume drugs to block generics for years longer than in 1990.
Merck gave no explanation, and no other company has stepped in to keep Recarbrio available in the US.
How each outlet framed it
- STAT leans critical
- emphasizes pharma commitment gap: Recarbrio's 'last resort' designation limits market potential, driving discontinuation
- Ars Technica leans critical
- reports JAMA study showing drug patents tripled since 1990, mostly 'nonprimary' patents creating thickets delaying generics
Sources: STAT, Ars Technica