The UK government will invest up to £39 ($48) million in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research through the Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF).
The funding includes up to £25 ($30.9) million awarded to support the early development of new antibiotics, vaccines, rapid diagnostics and other products to combat life-threatening drug-resistant infections.
The money will bolster the UK’s partnership with CARB-X – a global AMR research initiative. The UK has already given £20 ($24.7) million to the initiative which, together with other funders, has resulted in CARB-X investing nearly £40 ($49.5) million into the UK’s science and innovation industry.
In addition to the CARB-X grant, GAMRIF is investing £5 ($6.1) million over two years into the Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP) to develop – and ensure global access to – new antibiotic treatments against major global health priorities.
Health Minister Will Quince said: “Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat to global health and has led to millions of tragic deaths per year, but the Global AMR Innovation Fund is supporting cutting-edge research and developing vital new treatments to prevent death and disease across the world.
“This funding will provide a much-needed boost to protect people from diseases such as drug-resistant gonorrhoea, life-threatening sepsis in newborn babies and serious bacterial infections.”
Claire Machin, Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Executive Director of International Policy and UK Competitiveness, commented: “This is a positive step for research into finding long-term solutions for AMR. Beyond research there is an essential need for collaboration, on a global scale, that allows research efforts to be developed into effective antibiotics available for all. Multiple global solutions which bring together governments, healthcare systems and the pharmaceutical industry are needed at scale if we are to stand a chance against AMR.”