Pfizer Pledges $100 Million to New Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Action Fund

Pfizer has pledged $100 million to the newly launched Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Action Fund to help address the significant global public health need for new antibiotics due to the rapid rise of antibiotic-resistant infections. The AMR Action Fund is a ground-breaking collaboration among more than 20 biopharmaceutical companies that aims to bring 2-4 new antibiotics to patients by 2030 through collaboration between pharmaceutical companies, philanthropies, development banks, and multilateral organizations to re-invigorate and accelerate antibiotic development.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, we must invest in the development of medicines now so that we are prepared to help prevent the next public health crisis,” said Pfizer Chairman and Chief Executive Albert Bourla. “We strongly believe the world cannot tackle the growing threat of AMR without collaboration – and that it will take a combination of prevention measures, responsible stewardship and innovative thinking to overcome existing obstacles. The new AMR Action Fund gives us the vehicle to do that by investing in and stimulating a potentially stronger pipeline for antimicrobial medicines.”

Each year 700,000 people die from AMR. By 2050, it is estimated that AMR could claim as many as 10 million lives per year. While antibiotics revolutionized medicine in the 20th century and, together with vaccination, have led to the near eradication of many diseases in the developed world, over time, bacteria change and adapt to the use of antibiotics, rendering them ineffective. This makes it more difficult to treat common infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and salmonellosis, leading to longer hospital stays, higher medical costs and increased mortality. (Source: Pfizer Website, 09 July, 2020)