Report highlights gaps in access, stewardship plans for promising antimicrobials

The article aptly highlights the goal of the Foundation's latest report: to examine how ongoing antimicrobial projects can be leveraged to address the superbug crisis, rather than focusing on the fact that major pharma companies have de-prioritised antimicrobial research and development, which is well-documented. 

While the new antimicrobial drugs in scope of the report are promising, the article notes another key observation: that concrete plans for registering these products in the majority of LMICs are lacking, which could create a gap between product approval and delivery. 

As Marijn Verhoef explains to CIDRAP, this observation could be due to insufficient regulatory systems in LMICs and lack of experience by companies in registering new medicines in those countries.  

While acknowledging these challenges, Marijn says: "Let's look at the top ten countries with the highest burden of disease. These countries should at least be prioritised when it comes to filing for registration."