Dozens of Drug Makers Agree on Effort to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

Thursday, January 21, 2016

In an unprecedented bid to address antibiotic resistance, more than 80 drug and device makers have issued a declaration urging governments to “support investment” in developing medicines and diagnostic tools to combat drug-resistant infections.

The statement, which was released as the World Economic Forum proceeds in Davos, Switzerland, comes amid increasing worldwide concern about the inability to cope with various infections and a simultaneous dearth of new products needed to combat the threat.

Drug-resistant infections are forecast to cause 10 million extra deaths a year and consume up to $100 trillion in health care costs by 2050, according to a report released last year by the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, a project commissioned by the United Kingdom government to study the problem.

In the United States, antibiotic resistance has been blamed for at least 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths annually. In late 2014, the White House released a strategy calling for specific steps to develop new antibiotics by 2020 and measures to prevent the spread of drug-resistant bacteria.

Source: STAT (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Health Care
Tags
infectious diseases, vaccines