MPs call for drug resistance to be top priority before millions die
TACKLING THE growing resistance of deadly bugs to antibiotics needs to become a top five priority for the Government to prevent the virtual loss of modern medicine, MPs have said.
A report by the Health and Social Care Committee said it wants to see “tangible progress” over the next six months to “reverse the worrying exodus” from research into antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Antimicrobial-resistant infections currently claim at least 50,000 lives each year across Europe and the US alone, along with 700,000 lives globally.
These figures are set to rise dramatically over the next 30 years, with the death toll estimated to be 10 million a year by 2050 – higher than from cancer and diabetes combined.
No new classes of antibiotics have been developed for decades.
They are not seen as profitable by drug companies as new antibiotics are only initially prescribed very sparingly rather than as a first line treatment during their patent lives.
The report says that while in developed health systems it is possible to access alternative second or third line treatments when patients develop a resistant infection, mortality rates and costs of treatment are likely to be approximately double for a drugresistant infection, generating an estimated cost to the NHS of £180 million a year. It said options to address this market failure include changes to patent law and to the ways that pharmaceutical companies are reimbursed for new antimicrobial medicines.
Committee chairwoman Dr Sarah Wollaston said: “In six months we want to see tangible progress on implementing practical policies to reverse the worrying exodus from AMR research and development and both Government and industry should play their part in tackling this issue.”
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “The UK is a recognised global leader on AMR and we are committed to tackling the issue both at home and internationally.”