Commercial prospects dim as doctors prescribe new drugs sparingly; some companies run out of cash

The world desperately needs new antibiotics to tackle the rising threat of drug-resistant superbugs, but there is little reward for doing so.

Instead, the companies that have stepped up to the challenge are going bust.

Makers of newly approved antibiotic drugs are struggling to generate sales because doctors prescribe the treatments sparingly. The new drugs compete with older, cheaper products, and patients typically take them for only a week or two at a time.

More from the Wall Street Journal here.