G7 Finance Ministers' Statement on Actions to Support Antibiotic Development
December 13, 2021
1. COVID-19 has demonstrated the importance of strengthening preparedness for global health threats, including the "silent pandemic" of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is already having significant impacts on our economies and health systems, leading to an estimated 700,000 deaths globally from drug-resistant infections annually[i].
[i] Review on Antimicrobial Resistance
2. Despite this AMR threat, different factors including market failure contribute to the lack of development of new antibiotics, with no new class of antibiotic coming to market for more than three decades. There is also a need to tackle the spread of AMR across the One Health spectrum of human, animal, and environmental health, including through ensuring the appropriate use and stewardship of antibiotics and considering AMR impacts when making public and private investments across the One Health spectrum.
3. In recognition that AMR has long-term health and economic consequences, all G7 members commit to expedite their implementation of existing strategies, outlined in our respective AMR Action Plans and related strategies, and to take additional specific and appropriate steps to address the antibiotic market failure and create the right economic conditions to preserve essential existing antibiotics and ensure their access, strengthen AMR antibiotic research and development, and bring new drugs to market where they meet identified public health needs (see annex A for examples of G7 action). Recognising country-specific circumstances and member state competences, possible steps could include exploring a range of market incentive options, with a particular emphasis on supporting relevant pull incentives, implementing new pilot projects, contributing to new national governance structures to develop economic strategies to strengthen antibiotic development, and exploring legislative and regulatory measures. To promote greater G7 coherence and recognising the value of antimicrobials to our health systems, economies and societies, these efforts will be underpinned by the G7 Shared Principles for the Valuation of Antimicrobial Therapeutics adopted by G7 Health Ministers on 17 November (see separate document).
4. In addition, we welcome the establishment of the $1bn AMR Action Fund[ii] by industry to help bring up to four new antibiotics to market by 2030; activities by different global institutions and partnerships to promote antibiotic development, access, and stewardship including in low- and middle-income countries such as GARDP, BARDA, CARB-X, IMI, and SECURE[iii]; and efforts by a number of public and private investors, including the Investor Action on AMR initiative[iv], development banks, and finance institutions to better assess and mitigate AMR risks and impacts in their investments and financing strategies.
[ii] AMR Action Fund
[iii] (GARDP) Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership; (BARDA) Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; (CARB-X) Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Accelerator; (IMI) Innovative Medicines Initiative; and (SECURE) initiative. See also G7 Health Ministers' communique, 4 June, paragraph 25, for further detail.
[iv] AMR Investor Action