Lack of access to generic antibiotics and antifungals is an overlooked issue in AMR

– by Fatema Rafiqi, Moska Hellamand and Martijn van Gerven

AMR is rising fast

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a clear and fast-rising threat to the health of humans and animals, the economy, and the environment. And the current situation is dire. In 2019, the deaths of 1.27 million people were directly attributed to antimicrobial-resistant infections. The World Bank estimates that the material risk of AMR will result in global output losses of over USD 1 trillion by 2030 and USD 2 trillion by 2050.

It is the world’s poorest countries that experience the highest levels of AMR and the highest rates of infectious disease.1 And it is precisely the people living in these countries that also suffer from significant gaps in access to adequate treatment. Pathogens know no borders, and if the lack of access is not addressed in the country of origin, drug-resistant infections will spread globally.