Africa’s children left behind as access to life-saving antibiotics lags

The article spotlights limited access to life-saving antibiotics for children living in sub-Saharan Africa against the backdrop of rising antibiotic resistance worldwide. It cites a key figure from the report: none of the companies assessed by the benchmark have registered certain child-friendly antibiotics in 17 of the countries in scope – all in sub-Saharan Africa.

The article notes that global efforts to develop new antibiotics have shrunk, citing a 35% decrease in the antimicrobial research pipelines of large pharmaceutical companies since the publication of the last benchmark in 2021. However, it also highlights some promising developments featured in the report, including GSK’s gepotidacin and Innovia’s zoliflodacin. These offer new treatment options for uncomplicated urinary tract infections and gonorrhoea, respectively – the first of their kind for decades.

Access to Medicine Foundation CEO, Jayasree K. Iyer, is quoted in the article, noting that “We can tilt the battle against superbugs in humanity’s favour. Our findings show practical approaches that can increase progress, but action must expand across the industry.” 

Emphasising a key theme from the report – that solving antimicrobial resistance will require strong action across a range of stakeholders – the article quotes Claudia Martínez, director of research at the Foundation: “From research and manufacturing to access and responsible use, companies have opportunities to strengthen their response to antimicrobial resistance.”