Searching For New Ways To Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

18:59

April 03, 2017

Kathleen McNerney
Meghna Chakrabarti

A colorized image of the O157:H7 strain of the E. coli bacteria, which can be resistant to colistin, often considered the last option in antibiotics. (Janice Carr/CDC via AP)

Our next guest is spearheading a new initiative to try to combat suberbugs — bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2 million people are infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria every year. More than 23,000 people die from these infections.

Some public health leaders worry that the problem is getting worse. A new initiative aims to change that, and is backing 11 projects to tackle antibiotic resistance in a variety of ways.

Guest

Kevin Outterson, N. Neal Pike Scholar in Health and Disability Law at Boston University and executive director of CARB-X, Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator. He tweets @koutterson.

This segment aired on April 3, 2017.