Is there a long-lost fix for superbugs hiding in plain sight?

For many years, politicians, patients and drugmakers alike have warned about the risk posed by growing antimicrobial resistance, spurred on by liberal use of antibiotics in farming, and in general medical practice.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) “ Global action plan on antimicrobial resistance,” published in 2015, calls for “harmonized and immediate action on a global scale,” to avoid “a post-antibiotic era in which common infections could once again kill.”

But an increased focus on longer-term therapies and reduced attractiveness of antibiotics have diminished the level of investment in this area. After all, how can the costs of R&D be met if a product is designed to be used only sparingly?