WALL STREET JOURNAL | The world desperately needs new antibiotics to tackle the rising threat of drug-resistant superbugs, but there is little reward for doing so. The companies that have stepped up to the challenge are going bust. Washington has taken notice of the problems, but near-term action remains unlikely. The Disarm Act, short for Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms and introduced in Congress in 2019, would have Medicare pay for certain antibiotics in full. Despite bipartisan support for the bill, progress could be hindered by impeachment proceedings and the coming election. Another idea is a “market entry reward,” a one-time sum paid to companies that launch a new antibiotic. But for now, these improvements are not materializing. “The longer we wait for a sustainable solution, the more companies will die, and the more the earlier pipeline will degrade,” said Kevin Outterson, Professor of Law specializing in the antibiotics market at Boston University. “That’s my real fear.”