Luka Šrot
Associate Director, Health Security, IFPMA
A coordinated response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is essential to building healthier populations worldwide, and pull incentives for antibiotics are part of the solution.
AMR and NCDs represent two of the greatest threats to global health and development that we face. Coordinated political leadership at the United Nations, across G7 countries, and nationally can help ensure a robust, integrated health systems response.
AMR, infectious diseases and NCDs are connected
Treatment-resistant bacteria are already associated with nearly 5 million deaths each year and, without meaningful action, they could cumulatively contribute to 169 million deaths by 2050, resulting in almost USD 100 billion of additional annual healthcare costs from 2050 onwards.1
Effective antibiotics underpin virtually all facets of modern healthcare. Yet, according to WHO, one in six bacterial infections are now resistant to antibiotic treatments.
Many people living with NCDs, especially those undergoing cancer treatment, are more vulnerable to infection due to weakened immune systems and frequent hospital visits. Cancer patients are up to three times more likely to contract drug-resistant infections, and infections are directly or indirectly linked to half of all cancer deaths.2
With the right pull incentives in place, innovation against AMR
can be unlocked, to the benefit of patients everywhere
Pull incentives are essential to turning the tide
Over the years, WHO has underlined the scarcity of the clinical pipeline. Our research further shows that, without prompt action to incentivise antibiotic innovation, it will only get worse.
At its core, the pipeline issue is economic due to the necessity of restricting antibiotic use to preserve effectiveness. This creates a disconnect between the high costs of development and returns developers can achieve, discouraging investment. Smaller developers are hit particularly hard, and many suffer significant financial difficulties, despite achieving initial success.
With existing market dynamics insufficient to drive antibiotic innovation, additional economic incentives are needed. This requires so-called ‘pull’ incentives, designed to reward the successful development of new antibiotics and increase the solutions we have to respond to infectious diseases, including for those most at risk.
The pharmaceutical industry is committed to playing its part in transforming scientific progress into meaningful health outcomes. With the right pull incentives in place, innovation against AMR can be unlocked, to the benefit of patients everywhere.
[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.
[2] Nanayakkara, Amila K et al. 2021. Antibiotic resistance in the patient with cancer: Escalating challenges and paths forward. CA: a cancer journal for clinicians vol. 71,6 (2021): 488-504. doi:10.3322/caac.21697.
