With looming superbug crisis, Iterum misses in a key antibiotic trial — and its shares tumble

A raft of antibiotic makers have crashed and burned recently despite getting their drugs across the finish line. Iterum Therapeutics hopes that its lead drug sulopenem, which has an outpatient focus in addition to hospitals and a plan to target areas with the highest levels of drug-resistant infections, will avert some of those reimbursement challenges. However, the company has now stumbled in a late-stage study, diminishing its shot at FDA approval it first requires.