Drug-resistant infections drive demand for Rs 20 lakh antibiotic in Hyderabad hospitalsGrowing antimicrobial resistance is forcing Hyderabad hospitals to rely on expensive last-line antibiotics such as Fetroja (cefiderocol) to treat multidrug-resistant infections. Doctors warn that antibiotic misuse is fuelling superbugs, leaving patients with limited treatment options and treatment costs exceeding Rs 20 lakh. With standard critical care protocols requiring 6 grams daily over a 10-day treatment course, overall expenses on patients will be upwards of Rs 20 lakh. The demand for such highly expensive, last-line drugs is on the rise because of widespread antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which has turned common or hospital-acquired bacterial strains into untreatable ‘superbugs’. When conventional antibiotics fail completely, doctors have to turn to specialized iron-binding cephalosporins like Cefiderocol to treat patients.