BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE | Antibiotics are the foundation of modern medicine, protecting us from infections stemming from injuries and childhood maladies, and making surgery, transplants, and chemotherapy safer. They are also now the last defense against the worst complications of COVID-19. Yet we have let their development languish. We are not developing the new antibiotics we need to win the race against drug-resistant superbugs. Drug resistant bacteria kills 700,000 people around the world each year, including 35,000 Americans. This in-depth article by Maryn McKenna looks at the economic challenges plaguing antibiotics and at what CARB-X is doing to address the crisis.