Merck & Co.’s decision to discontinue its intravenous antibiotic combination Recarbrio has led to a shortage of medicine used to treat antibiotic-resistant infections. In dissecting the issue, Chemistry World quoted Professor Jacob Sherkow, an expert in patents, about whether a generic drug could be manufactured to make up for the shortage. “These are very complicated drugs to manufacture, often needing their own manufacturing facility to avoid cross-contamination, which is an expensive endeavor for a generics company,” he said.