July 10, 2020
To support research and development of new antibiotics, Eisai participates in the launch of the AMR Action Fund in collaboration with more than 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. The AMR Action Fund, a ground-breaking partnership for tackling antimicrobial resistance or AMR, invests nearly US$1 billion funding to support clinical research of innovative new antibiotics that are addressing the most resistant bacteria and life-threatening infections and aims to bring 2-4 new antibiotics to patients by 2030.
AMR is now a major global health challenge worldwide. More than 700 thousand lives are lost each year to AMR worldwide. In some of the most alarming scenarios, it is estimated that by 2050 AMR could claim as many as 10 million lives per year.
Despite the huge societal cost of AMR, as there is currently no viable market for new antibiotics, there is an issue of a lack of funding available for antibiotic R&D, particularly the later stages of clinical research. This creates a “valley of death” between discovery and patient access.
To resolve these issues, the AMR Action Fund will join forces with philanthropies, development banks, and multilateral organizations to strengthen and accelerate antibiotic development. The AMR Action Fund will invest in smaller biotech companies focused on developing innovative antibacterial treatments, and provide them technical support by giving them access to the deep expertise and resources of large biopharmaceutical companies. The AMR Action Fund will also work with a broad alliance of stakeholders to create market conditions that enable sustainable investment in the antibiotic pipeline and bring novel antibiotics to patients in need.
In addition to the free provision of treatment for lymphatic filariasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD), to endemic countries through the World Health Organization (WHO), Eisai has been actively involved in drug discovery for NTDs and malaria in collaboration with Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund co-established by Japanese Government and pharmaceutical companies including Eisai. Also, Eisai has participated in Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), a partnership aiming to develop antibiotic treatments and ensure their sustainable access, in December 2018 and provided its latest chemical library compounds that have never been screened for antibacterial activity. By participating in the AMR Action Fund, Eisai strives to keep contributing to the global health.
For details about the launch of the AMR Action Fund, please refer to the news release of IFPMA.
https://www.ifpma.org/resource-centre/new-amr-action-fund-steps-in-to-save-collapsing-antibiotic-pipeline/