Pharma companies press on in fight against drug resistance, yet lag in access to antibiotics.
The 2021 AMR Benchmark evaluates 17 companies with a major stake in the anti-infectives space, including large research-based companies and generic medicine manufacturers. By comparing how they perform across a set of 20 metrics, the Benchmark tracks the progress and gaps in their efforts to keep medicines and vaccines available, despite the rise of drug resistance.
Large R&D-based companies
Generic medicine manufacturers
Insights
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GSK maintains lead in antibacterial and antifungal R&D to target priority pathogens
GSK's pipeline is the largest evaluated, with 31 projects in the pipeline. It addresses more pathogens designated as ‘critical’ and/or ‘urgent’ threats, and has most vaccines projects underway.
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R&D pipeline grows, but remains small overall
Since the previous analysis, 22 projects have left the pipeline, but there have been 38 additions. As a result, the pipeline has modestly increased in size, by 15 projects, from 77 to 92.
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Sustained R&D for AMR from most companies
Only one of the eight companies evaluated is not currently active in R&D targeting priority pathogens. The remaining seven have sustained their involvement, and several have expanded their pipelines. Pfizer and GSK stand out for adding five and four projects, respectively.
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Which pathogens are receiving most attention in R&D
The World Health Organization and US Centers for Disease Control have identified the most dangerous pathogens due to resistance. The eight large research-based companies evaluated are developing 92 medicine and vaccine projects that target them.
Trends
Good practice is becoming more common. Action to address access lags behind.
Good practice is becoming more common in the actions taken by pharmaceutical companies to limit the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This is most notable in the plans to ensure wider access to and responsible use of future products, as well as in the steps taken to curb the release of antibiotic waste into the environment. In stewardship, generic medicine manufacturers are taking a more active role. However, all companies miss opportunities to improve access in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the need is greatest and where people face the greatest threat from superbug infections.
Large R&D-based companies
Pfizer makes significant strides to become joint leader alongside GSK
GSK and Pfizer are joint leaders of the large research-based companies in 2021. They are followed by Johnson & Johnson. Although all three leaders perform well across the board, Pfizer made significant improvements in the scale and scope of its efforts to address AMR, and signalled a clear boost to its infectious diseases R&D.
The right figure shows how many points each company achieved, broken down by area of activity.
Points are available to companies in each metric that is relevant for its business.
Generic medicine manufacturers
Three new leaders in 2021, as stewardship and access measures increase
Aurobindo, Abbott and Viatris take the lead among the generic medicine manufacturers in 2021. Each of these companies is filing its medicines for registration in low- and middle- income countries, and has improved its sales practices to mitigate the risk of overselling. Abbott, Cipla and Viatris are the first generic medicine manufacturers to report environmental risk-management strategies that apply to their suppliers’ sites, as well as their own sites. They also report that they check whether suppliers’ sites comply with limits set for environmental standards. Transparency by generic medicine manufacturers has once again increased, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The right figure shows how many points each company achieved, broken down by area of activity.
Points are available to companies in each metric that is relevant for its business.
The Methodology
Methodology
The goal of the Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark is to guide and incentivise pharmaceutical companies to do more to tackle drug-resistance. It identifies good ideas for limiting AMR and highlights where action is still required. To fairly compare the diverse companies, the Benchmark evaluated them only in those metrics that are relevant to their portfolio and pipelines, comparing them in three groups: large research-based pharmaceutical companies, generic medicine manufacturers and pharmaceutical SMEs (small- and medium-sized enterprises). Read more about the analytical framework here.
