Antimicrobial resistance: Pharma pipeline projects drop by over a third

For the British Medical Journal, Elisabeth Mahase summarises key findings from the recently released Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Benchmark, highlighting the drop in antimicrobial projects made by large, research-based pharmaceutical companies.

The article focuses on the report’s key finding that the pipeline of antimicrobial candidates has shrunk by more than one-third since the last Benchmark was published in 2021. However, it also highlights bright spots from the report, noting that smaller firms are stepping in to develop new drugs amid the large, research-based companies’ retreat from the space.

It emphasises how AMR affects the UK, noting that the number of people who died with a resistant infection rose by almost 17% between 2023 and 2024. It adds that AMR infections are continuing to rise in England, with nearly 400 new cases reported each week in 2024.

Jayasree Iyer, CEO of the Access to Medicine Foundation, is quoted: “Without significant change, AMR will cause a devastating rise in deaths from preventable infections over the next two decades, with vulnerable populations living in poorer countries hit the hardest.”