More research funding needed to avoid drug-resistant pandemic, warns report

Kollewe writes about the latest research from the Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark Programme, which examines the financial challenges facing small drug-makers and impacts their ability to get new medicines to people who need them. 

The author explains how antibiotic overuse exacerbates AMR and how despite the great need for new medicines, small companies struggle to stay afloat in a difficult market. Quoting the report, Kollewe writes, "If the loss of such promising products continues, the pandemic of drug-resistant infections will pose a bigger global health emergency than Covid-19." 

Jayasree K. Iyer, Executive Director of the Access to Medicine Foundation, is quoted in the article: 
“Small and medium-sized companies are very critical for antimicrobial research. Big pharma has been leaving this space – only a small handful of companies are still developing drugs.”  Further, Jayasree explains, partnerships between countries can help incentivise small drug-makers to sustain efforts to produce new medicines.

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