More than 80 leading international pharmaceutical, generics, diagnostics
and biotechnology companies, as well as key industry bodies, have come together
to call on governments and industry to work in parallel in taking comprehensive
action against drug-resistant infections - so-called 'superbugs' - with a joint
declaration launched today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The statement sets out for the first time how governments and industry need to
work together to support sustained investment in the new products needed to
beat the challenges of rising drug resistance.
The Declaration on Combating
Antimicrobial Resistance - drafted and signed by 85 companies and nine industry
associations across 18 countries - represents a major milestone in the global
response to these challenges, with commercial drug and diagnostic developers
for the first time agreeing on a common set of principles for global action to
support antibiotic conservation and the development of new drugs, diagnostics,
and vaccines. The industry is calling on governments around the world to now go
beyond existing statements of intent and take concrete action, in collaboration
with companies, to support investment in the development of antibiotics,
diagnostics, vaccines, and other products vital for the prevention and
treatment of drug-resistant infections.