Turning the Tide on AMR: From Pledges to Progress - Meeting Report

The event, hosted by Access to Medicine Foundation with the Fleming Initiative, convened 100 senior leaders from government, investment, industry and civil society for the launch of the 2026 Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Benchmark. The fourth iteration of the AMR Benchmark highlights the growing threat of AMR, pointing to a worryingly thin pipeline for new antimicrobials and persistent access gaps – especially for women and children in low- and middle-income countries.

Panel discussions centred on practical actions for a range of key actors – from investors and policymakers to industry leaders – to tackle AMR, emphasising the need for collective action across sectors.

High-level themes

As highlighted in the meeting report, participants shared their insights across the following panels:

1. Keeping antiobiotics available: investor leadership through engagement: Investors emphasised that AMR poses both risks and opportunities for investors looking to improve patient outcomes and generate long-term value, and discussed how to accelerate progress. Panellists welcomed the 2026 AMR Benchmark for the transparency it brings, enabling more informed conversations.

2. Superbug documentary: Film Director Dan Reed spoke with Dame Sally Davies about the development of and his motivation for the new BBC/HBO Superbug documentary that will come out later this year.

3. Using industry evidence to drive national AMR action: Government representatives from Germany, South Africa and Brazil discussed pledges and progress on action against AMR.

4. The future of antibiotics: industry leadership in action: Pharmaceutical company leaders highlighted the need for new partnerships and strong incentives to divert capital to address AMR.

You can read the full PDF of the meeting report for more details and key takeaways from the event.

The Antimicrobial Resistance Programme

AMR is a global multisectoral challenge, requiring coordinated action across sectors. Since 2017, the Foundation has worked to move the needle on AMR, tracking how pharmaceutical companies active in the antimicrobials sphere have taken action on drug resistance across four iterations of the AMR Benchmark.

The 2026 AMR Benchmark draws on an in-depth analysis of companies’ efforts to outline what must be done—across the sustainable development, supply and appropriate use of antibiotics—to drive progress in addressing AMR. By putting these recommendations into practice, companies can collaborate strategically with partners, close critical gaps, and contribute to industry-wide learning and improvement. As part of the launch of the 2026 AMR Benchmark, we have also launched an interactive storytelling platform that guides users through what AMR is, why it matters and how it threatens modern medicine. It underscores that AMR is not a distant or minor problem – it is a global health crisis claiming lives on a scale that demands urgent action. Learn more about why AMR matters.