STAT+: Merck discontinues a crucial antibiotic despite concerns over superbug resistance

Merck unexpectedly discontinued Recarbrio from the U.S. market earlier this month and is no longer supplying the drug, underscoring concerns about the commitment large pharmaceutical companies are willing to make to a field crucial to public health. The company did not explain its decision.

Recarbrio was approved seven years ago as a three-drug combination injection used to treat serious infections in adults and children, including hospital- or ventilator-associated pneumonia and complicated urinary tract and stomach infections in patients with limited or no alternative treatment options. The FDA pegged it from the outset as a treatment of last resort in hopes of mitigating antibiotic resistance.

That last-resort designation also limits market and sales potential. Merck did not disclose Recarbrio sales in its regulatory filings, and the discontinuation highlights the tension between public health need for antimicrobials and commercial incentives.