In an unprecedented bid to address antibiotic resistance, more than 80 drug and device makers have issued a declaration urging governments to “support investment” in developing medicines and diagnostic tools to combat drug-resistant infections.
The statement, which was released as the World Economic Forum proceeds in Davos, Switzerland, comes amid increasing worldwide concern about the inability to cope with various infections and a simultaneous dearth of new products needed to combat the threat.
Drug-resistant infections are forecast to cause 10 million extra deaths a year and consume up to $100 trillion in health care costs by 2050, according to a report released last year by the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, a project commissioned by the United Kingdom government to study the problem.
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