In recent years, there has been a growing concern regarding the shortage of critically

important pharmaceutical agents in the U$.$S$.$ market, especially new and effective

antibiotics against difficult$-$to$-$treat infectious diseases. News stories in the recent past

describing the discovery of new strains of bacteria in the U$.$S$.$ that are resistant to ALL

existing antibiotics has raised the specter of a possible nightmare public health scenario

where such infections spread to large numbers of people and the health care system is

not able to effectively respond, much like that experienced with the COVID$-19$

pandemic. In response to this prospective crisis, a number of health policy experts have

called for a systematic $($public policy$)$ level response to address this issue, and others

have actually developed models for possible solution$($s$)$ to the problem$($s$)$ as identified.

Based on the Health Affairs articles $($both in Folio$)$ entitled "Repairing the Broken Market

for Antibiotic Innovation" and "Funding Antibiotic Innovation With Vouchers:

Recommendations On How To Strengthen A Flawed Incentive Policy$,$ answer$/$address

each of the following questions:

A$.$ Provide a working definition of the policy "problem$($s$)"$ in this case.

B$.$ Identify specific antecedents $($demand side, supply side, political$/$stakeholder$)$

that are related to and$/$or otherwise contribute to the policy problem from Part

A as described in the Health Affairs articles.