Pharma is making some effort to fight superbugs, but progress is ‘patchy’

Covering the latest results of the Antimicrobial Resistance Benchmark, Ed Silverman of STAT reports on where companies companies are taking action, and where gaps remain.

The article begins with a snapshot of company progress in areas such as AMR surveillance and the prevention of overselling. It then zooms in on R&D pipelines describing the marginal increase in the number of antibiotics being developed since 2018.

The article compares the findings of the Benchmark to reports issued previously by the World Health Organization, which reached similar conclusions about the overall lack of private investment and innovation in antibiotic development.

The article then looks at some of the potential solutions to encourage and incentivise innovative antibacterial R&D for antibacterial and antifungal medicines with quotes from Jayasree Iyer, Executive Director of the Access to Medicine Foundation, Thomas Cueni, of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations and Glyn Edwards, Chief Executive Director at Summit Therapeutics.

It concludes with a summary of the Benchmark Key Findings in antibacterial R&D, progress in responsible promotion, and tracking the spread of resistance.