A total of 85 companies and nine industry associations from across the global pharmaceutical, diagnostics and biotechnology industries have called on governments to work with them to develop new and alternative market structures to provide more dependable and sustainable market models for antibiotics, and to commit the funds needed to implement them.
The call, issued today, was launched at an event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with a joint declaration being signed by the companies and associations concerned to provide “appropriate incentives”, coupled with safeguards to support antibiotic conservation, for companies to invest in new R&D.
The declaration also sets out a commitment to further action on drug resistance by its signatories, across the following three areas:
- Reducing the development of drug resistance. The companies commit to encouraging better and more appropriate use of new and existing antibiotics, including through work that supports the antibiotic stewardship principles set out by the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and via improved education of clinicians. This support extends to promoting more judicious use of antibiotics in livestock, as part of a ‘one health’ approach.
- Increasing investment in R&D that meets global public health needs. Recognising the need to increase research into new antibiotics, diagnostics, vaccines and other alternative treatments, the companies commit to a continuation and extension of collaborative initiatives between industry, academia and public bodies to improve how R&D in the field is done and provide greater opportunities for the scientific barriers to antibiotic discovery to be overcome.
- Improve access to high-quality antibiotics for all. In light of the gaps that remain in global access to our existing antibiotics and vaccines, and the importance of ensuring that new generations of products are available to all those who need them, the signatories commit to supporting initiatives aimed at ensuring affordable access to antibiotics in all parts of the world, at all levels of income.
The declaration remains a “living document” with signatories free to add or remove their endorsement at any time.
