5 BY 25
The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) is calling on the world to support the delivery of five new treatments by 2025 to tackle the drug-resistant infections that pose the greatest threat to global health and economic security. GARDP is seeking €500 million to develop these treatments.
The development of antibiotics is one of modern medicine’s greatest successes. They have made previously incurable illnesses treatable and allowed medical procedures like operations and chemotherapy to be performed safely, saving millions of lives and radically transforming our health and lifespans. Now, time with these drugs is running out.
Drug-resistant superbugs kill 1.2 million people a year. They can affect anyone, of any age in any country. Without urgent action the number of deaths from once treatable infections is projected to increase exponentially. Delivering treatments for drug-resistant infections is also critical to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3: health and well-being for all.
In addition to causing deaths and suffering, drug resistance hurts economic growth. By 2050, drug resistance could result in countries losing more than 5% of their GDP and push 28 million people into poverty. Global increases in healthcare costs are estimated to reach $1 trillion per year.
“I call on governments, foundations and other donors to engage and help GARDP in acheiving its aim to develop five new treatments by 2025.”
– Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General
The five new treatments GARDP is developing are focused on the drug-resistant bacteria identified by WHO as posing the greatest threat to health and development and urgently requiring new antibiotics. This includes developing treatments for babies with sepsis, sexually-transmitted infections and hospital-acquired infections.
If we act now, collectively and with urgency, we can prevent a post-antibiotic era. Join GARDP in this important endeavour to deliver five urgently needed treatments by 2025.
