Which of these is the best counterargument to his claim that drug companies need increased funding for research and development into new drugs to stay ahead of the growing problem of drug-resistant pathogens?

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How to fight drug-resistant bacteria

This year, the U.S. reported for the first time that a patient had been infected by bacteria resistant to colistin, an antibiotic of last resort. The announcement followed several years of warnings that current antibiotics aren’t diverse enough to fight pathogens as drug resistance spreads. The cover story of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, sums up how researchers are trying to stay ahead of the bugs. Ann M. Thayer, a senior correspondent at C&EN, notes that antibiotic-resistant pathogens already cause at least 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths each year in the U.S. alone. And the development pipeline for new treatments to deal with this growing problem is anemic. About 40 small molecules and two dozen other approaches, such as antibodies and vaccines, are in clinical testing. Only about one in five are expected to earn approval for patient use. In addition, sparse funding, poor business prospects and regulatory issues can stand in the way of development.

Despite the hurdles, there is hope. Researchers are getting creative in their strategies for defeating infection-causing bacteria. They’re designing drugs to overcome existing resistance mechanisms. Their tactics include making drugs that attack pathogens on multiple fronts, and that neutralize illness-causing bacterial toxins rather than killing the bugs themselves. To help encourage the development of new solutions, policymakers are proposing various bills to ease the financial and regulatory burdens. And new government and nonprofit funding is becoming available.

A student is going to use this text as support for his argumentative essay on the need for increased funding for drug development. He needs a counterargument to include in his essay.

Which of these is the best counterargument to his claim that drug companies need increased funding for research and development into new drugs to stay ahead of the growing problem of drug-resistant pathogens?
A . Prescription drug use has become an epidemic in the United States and around the world; continuing to fund drug development will only provide new and possibly more dangerous and addictive drug for patients to be exposed to.
B . Without increased funding, researchers and scientists will not be able to find new drugs or therapy approaches to save people infected with antibiotic-resistant illnesses.
C . Some drug companies have been accused of misappropriation of funds so the government and society should not support them.
D . The fast mutation cycle of bacteria and pathogens means that scientists and researchers will forever be playing catch up as they try to develop stronger and more powerful drugs that can combat drug-resistant illnesses, so it is a waste of time, money, and resources to continue funding this kind of drug research.

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Answer: D