Antimicrobial resistance: it’s time for global action
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of our greatest public health threats. We need collective, evidence-based action to control the escalating burden of drug-resistant infections. Find out about Wellcome's work on AMR.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of our greatest public health threats. We need collective, evidence-based action to control the escalating burden of drug-resistant infections.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, fungi or viruses change in a way that makes the drugs used to treat them ineffective.
These drug-resistant infections are much harder – if not impossible – to treat and cure. They cause over a million deaths every year, and projections suggest this will increase significantly over the next few decades. By 2030, the health impacts of AMR could lead to a US $3.4 trillion annual shortfall in global GDP [PDF 3.8MB].
However, the effects are not experienced equally. Low- and middle-income countries have the highest burden of drug-resistant infections.
For example, in sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 1 in 1,000 deaths are already associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance, compared to half as many in high-income countries.
While there has been some progress in tackling AMR in recent years, it isn’t enough. The global response remains too weak and fragmented to manage the growing burden of disease.
We need collective action on AMR to deliver a more ambitious and globally coherent approach. We call on global leaders to:
- set a bold, unifying goal for a reduction in the global burden of AMR
- create a panel for scientific evidence and action on AMR
- establish a mechanism to regularly review progress and maintain momentum
Member States will convene to agree a resolution on antimicrobial resistance. This is the first time it has been on the agenda since 2019.
The second-ever High-Level Meeting on AMR will agree on a political declaration that could redefine the future global response.
National leaders can capitalise on the growing momentum and support the follow-up of the Political Declaration at this conference in Saudi Arabia.
This policy brief identifies opportunities to drive change in how governments respond collaboratively to AMR. It is designed to support discussions with and between governments in the lead-up to and following the 2024 UN General Assembly.
We support science to tackle the biggest barriers to controlling infectious disease in the most affected communities. This includes research to better understand the global burden of AMR and accelerate the development of new interventions.
- We’re funding evidence generation – from our analysis of the antimicrobial resistance landscape to the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance project, which provides the first comprehensive estimate of AMR burden in 204 countries and territories.
- We’re supporting projects all over the world that improve how countries track, share and analyse information about the spread of drug-resistant infections – from the Surveillance and Epidemiology of Drug-resistant Infections Consortium (SEDRIC) to A Clinically Oriented Antimicrobial Resistance Network (ACORN).
- Since 2016, we have supported CARB-X, a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting early-stage antibiotics, diagnostics and vaccines research and development to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria.
- We're also working with the communities most affected by AMR, with projects like ABACUS, which explored the case for a standardised physical appearance of antibiotics to improve the confusion between medicine suppliers and community members.
- In preparation for the 2024 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR, we funded the UN Foundation to create an AMR messaging guide to help stakeholders align on collective calls for action.
For information, contact Jeremy Knox, Head of Policy, Infectious Disease at Wellcome.