Finally, patients themselves often misunderstand how to use antibiotics. In a study performed in Eastern Africa, women were given chloroquine and asked to take it once each week. Rising Costs As a result of increasing resistance levels, the cost of treatment has risen dramatically. In addition, side effects to second line antibiotics are higher in some instances, and in some cases, mortality has increased in patients with resistant infections. Meanwhile, there has been a slow-down in new antibiotics reaching the market Since the 1960s, no new classes of antibiotics have been placed on the market.
Resistance spreads as new formulations are developed within existing classes.
This is aggregated by the high cost of developing new drugs. The chances of recovering investment are low since resistance can develop at any time. We must work to create an environment in which new antibiotics can be developed and marketed, and where new input can be gained. The Impact of Resistance Today The history of penicillin illustrates how rapidly resistance can develop. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 and introduced in 1942.