Dx Industry Joins Global Call for Incentives to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

Global representatives of the diagnostics and pharmaceutical industries issued a joint declaration at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland calling on governments to take action, along with private companies, to support investment in the development of products to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Commercial drug and diagnostic developers agreed on a common set of principles for global action to promote antibiotic conservation and the development of new drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines. Prominent in the declaration was a call for increased usage of rapid, point-of-care diagnostics to improve antibiotic stewardship.

“The in vitro diagnostics (IVD) sector is ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with colleagues from across industry to tackle the threat of AMR to human health,” said Doris-Ann Williams, chief executive of the British In Vitro Diagnostics Association, in an accompanying press release. “IVDs have a critical role to play in preventing unnecessary prescriptions of antibiotics or accurately targeting their use.”

Calling the increase in AMR “dramatic,” the signees say combatting AMR needs to be a top priority for global public health policymakers. Eorts to combat AMR to date, the group says, have failed because of an “innovation gap” that results from a combination of scientific and commercial barriers.

“The scientific diiculties are formidable and traditional R&D approaches have largely failed: companies, private and public funders have invested billions of dollars over the last 20 years to discover new antibacterials, yet no new class of antibiotic for Gram-negative infections has reached approval in over 40 years,” the declaration says. “Therefore, we call on governments to commit to allocating the funds needed to create a sustainable and predictable market for these technologies while also implementing the measures needed to safeguard the eectiveness of antibiotics.”

The signees, 85 companies and nine industry associations from 18 dierent countries, believe that a combination of appropriate incentives, coupled with safeguards to support antibiotic conservation, is needed for companies to invest in R&D. Among the specific requests, the declaration calls for:

• Governments to commit funding and support to develop and implement “transformational commercial models.”

• Enhanced conservation of antibiotics through integration of fast and accurate point-of-care and laboratory diagnostics to ensure appropriate antibiotic stewardship.

• Prompt reimbursement decisions at prices that reflect value, for new drugs and diagnostics.

“The value assigned to antibiotics and diagnostics often does not reflect the investment required for their creation or the benefits they bring to society, and we stand ready to work with payers and policymakers on new valuation mechanisms and commercial models that specifically address the unique challenges of this market,” the signees commit.

Takeaway: Diagnostics industry calls for governments worldwide to provide safeguards and incentives, including adequate reimbursement for diagnostics, to fight antibiotic resistance.