An AMR call to action at the World Economic Forum

As someone who has a lot of interest in the field of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), I was keen to listen to the session on AMR being held today at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The views of the distinguished and very knowledgeable panel were extremely fascinating and informative. I would encourage readers to listen to the session, here.

Whilst the panel and moderator wished to express a degree of optimism, there was still a realization that to successfully tackle the issue requires a coordinated global approach. The panel discussed the incentives required in order to facilitate new antimicrobial and vaccine development, but also to reduce antimicrobial misuse, which leads to accelerated AMR development. It was extremely telling that it was mentioned that currently there are only 32 new antimicrobials going through clinical trials, as compared to some 1800 for the treatment of cancer. The economic model for developing new antimicrobial agents needs to change, and pharmaceutical companies need to be incentivized to commercialize new antimicrobials.  

The threat posed by AMR was hammered home by the panel. One panel member mentioned the real possibility of the world reverting to the pre-antibiotic era where a significant number of people died in childhood, let alone after routine operations. While that might seem somewhat emotive, it is necessary to get people to understand the reality of a world without new antimicrobials faces.