Global Cause
Dr Manica Balasegaram
Executive Director of the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP)
Could changing the way we talk about drug-resistant infections help us tackle the escalating global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis?
The latest research suggests that AMR has now reached a critical tipping point, with the number of AMR-associated deaths expected to rise sharply, increasing by more than 70% by 2050.1
Antibiotic resistance outpaces development
We already know that we need to curb the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, both of which are driving the rise and spread of drug-resistant infections. To prevent this sudden upsurge, a change in narrative is also needed. In addition to reducing the inappropriate use of antibiotics, we must now also increase their appropriate use.
That’s because today, many people aren’t getting the antibiotics they need; either they cannot get the right antibiotics or the right drugs have not been developed in the first place. This has led to a global shift, with the most difficult to treat multidrug-resistant infections now beginning to outpace antibiotic development. As a result, more people are now dying from a lack of access to antibiotics than from drug-resistant infections, while the most difficult-to-treat infections continue to spread almost unhindered.
Targeting Gram-negative threats
In light of this, a concerted global effort is now needed towards investment in the development of innovative, new and effective antibiotic treatments for multidrug-resistant infections. Specifically, we need ones that target those Gram-negative infections that pose the greatest public health threat — those included in the World Health Organization priority pathogen list.
This alone is predicted to prevent 11 million AMR deaths by 2050, while improving access to effective antibiotics could prevent more than 50 million more deaths during this period.
In addition to reducing the inappropriate use of antibiotics, we must now also increase their appropriate use.
Antibiotic stewardship and access needed
Public-private partnerships, like the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), are already making progress on both these fronts. However, a shift in the global AMR narrative is also needed to highlight the need for appropriate access and innovation. The way to achieve this is by adopting a positive and inclusive global agenda that is focused on saving lives.
Because to avoid the AMR tipping point, we need to improve the stewardship of existing antibiotics, and that means not only reducing their inappropriate use but also ensuring that everyone has access to the appropriate antibiotics when they need them.
[1] Naghavi, Mohsen et al. 2024. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990–2021: a systematic analysis with forecasts to 2050. The Lancet, Volume 404, Issue 10459, 1199 – 1226.
