It is turning out to be a serious health scare. With bacteria fast developing resistance to existing antibiotics, we may soon reach a stage where a simple bruise may prove fatal. What is making things worse is that no new antibiotic has been discovered for bacteria that have developed resistance to some currently available antibiotics. This seems set to change.

In India, a bunch of bravehearts, knowing well that drugdiscovery is ‘high risk, high reward’ game, is doing extensive research to discover the next big antibiotic. They know that there are no clear timelines for drug discoveries. They know that the failure rate is high. But they are passionate about their work. If things go as planned, a new antibiotic for multidrug-resistant infections based on a made-in-India compound will hit the market by 2023.