Prognosis
Coronavirus Outbreak Exposes Faults in Antibiotics Pipeline
- Drug shortages, overuse of antibiotics could worsen existing market pitfalls
- Many active ingredients come from China, the epicenter of outbreak
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The prospect of a coronavirus pandemic will strain the pipeline for antibiotics, a network that’s heavily reliant on components from China and already beset by bankruptcies.
A global outbreak of the disease, known as COVID-19, means more patients will rely on antibiotics to fight off pneumonia and other respiratory infections that can accompany the virus. Doctors may feel compelled to prescribe antibiotics even in instances where the cause of patients’ symptoms are unclear, running the risk that new infections develop resistance to the drugs.