Exploring the Societal Value of Antibiotics

Glenn Tillotson, PhD, FIDSA, consultant microbiologist in Durham, NC, discusses the societal value of antibiotics.

Interview Transcript (modified slightly for readability):

“The societal value of antibiotics is something that is only just beginning to be appreciated. An infection, in reality, doesn’t just affect the individual patient; sometimes it’s a population effect in terms of, the spread of disease; there’s the impact on a hospital system, maybe there is an infection control issue. And so, there are many, many aspects of and infection, and therefore, that should be attributed to an antibiotic. And, at the moment, I don’t think people appreciate that societal value.”