The antimicrobial crisis: enough advocacy, more action

This editorial from The Lancet underscores the urgent need for greater action on AMR, in both human and animal health. It draws on the Key Findings of the 2020 AMR Benchmark to set out the scale of challenge in improving appropriate access to antibiotics.

Date

24 January 2020

With the 2020 Annual Meeting of the WEF as its starting point, The Lancet compares the many calls for action on AMR made to date with the level of progress being made. It refers to pipeline analyses published by WHO, among others, to highlight the declining level of R&D for antibiotics, antivirals, antiparasitics, antifungals and vaccines. The editorial also dives into the factors behind the failure of the antibiotics market.

Drawing on the findings from the 2020 AMR Benchmark, the Lancet highlights that access to antimicrobials remains a substantial challenge, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).

It concludes by calling for joint action by the human and animal health sectors, acknowledging that addressing antimicrobial resistance is a complex issue.

"Without an overarching global mechanism, to which countries commit, efforts to slow the evolution of antimicrobial resistance will continue to be piecemeal and not meet the scale and urgency that this global challenge demands."