15 May, 2015
This report provides a high-level assessment of the development pipeline for new antibiotics, and sets out the Review’s initial proposals for the action needed at a global level.
The Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Review panel, funded by HM Government and the Wellcome Trust though operating with full independence, has published its third paper.
Securing new drugs for future generations: the antibiotics pipeline provides a high-level assessment of the development pipeline for new antibiotics, and sets out the Review’s initial proposals for the action needed at a global level to kick-start antibiotic drug discovery efforts. This includes proposals for new ways of channelling new money into early-stage research relevant to the tackling AMR; and for major global interventions to ensure that drug developers can be sure of a predictable and viable market for new antibiotics which can successfully tackle society’s most acute unmet needs.
The recommendations of the report include a USD 2 billion AMR Innovation Fund with contributions from big pharma to boost funding for blue-sky research into drugs and diagnostics. The report has received coverage on the BBC and Guardian among other media outlets.
The report builds on two previous papers, the first of which estimated that by 2050 there may be an additional 10 million deaths each year due to drug resistant strains of HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and certain bacterial infections. The second AMR Review paper discussed five areas for immediate action on AMR.
If you’re particularly interested in AMR in a development context, also see a recently published report from a Wilton Park workshop on AMR in humans and animals in low and middle income countries.