WHO report highlights progress and gaps in pipeline of antibiotic treatments to combat AMR
AMR was associated with nearly five million deaths in 2019, however the R&D pipeline for new antibiotics is thin and access to new and existing treatments remains a challenge, states the report
WHO, in partnership with the Global AMR R&D Hub, has released a report for G7 Finance and Health Ministers detailing progress on incentivising the development of new antibacterial treatments. The Global AMR R&D Hub is a partnership of countries, non-governmental donor organisations and intergovernmental organisations to address challenges and improve coordination and collaboration in global AMR R&D using a One Health approach.
The report follows commitments made in 2021 and 2022 by G7 Finance and Health Ministers to expedite implementation of existing AMR strategies, to take additional steps to address antibiotic market failure, create economic conditions to preserve the effectiveness of essential existing antibiotics and ensure their access, strengthen AMR Research and Development, and bring novel antibacterial medicines to market that address public health needs.
Following their 2023 meeting, the G7 Finance Ministers committed within their communique to “monitor, coordinate and enhance G7 efforts to incentivise AMR R&D, we reiterate our commitments building on the G7 Finance Ministers’ Statement of December 2021 on actions to support antimicrobial development and support the ongoing work of the G7 Health, Finance, Agriculture and Environment Tracks on AMR, including exploring the possibility of international collaboration on pull incentives for antimicrobial R&D, as appropriate.”
The G7 Health Ministers communique amplified the commitment saying “to this end, we continue to commit to exploring and implementing push and pull incentives that promote investment in R&D of antimicrobials, including contributing to existing global pooled efforts, such as CARB-X, GARDP and SECURE, at the earliest opportunity and within reasonable and feasible timelines. In addition to investing in R&D, we will promote solutions that address the antimicrobial pi