World leaders publicly recognize the benefits of public-private partnerships such as CARB-X
(BOSTON: September, 27, 2024) – Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) welcomes the approval of the Political Declaration on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by United Nations Member States during the High-Level Meeting which took place yesterday (Thursday, September 26, 2024) at the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79).
“The research and development pipeline for vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, especially antimicrobials and alternatives to the use of antimicrobials, to prevent and address antimicrobial resistance, especially antibiotics, are insufficient,” UN Member States note with concern in the declaration. As a consequence, they openly “recognize the benefits of public-private partnerships in the development of and access to antimicrobials, vaccines, diagnostics and alternatives to antimicrobials and in contributing to supply chain sustainability, and take note of the work of the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) and the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP).”
UN Member States also commit to “explore, encourage and promote a range of innovative incentives and financing mechanisms for multisectoral health research and development to address antimicrobial resistance … recognizing the need for … appropriate incentives, including push and pull incentives, in the development of new health products and technologies, while ensuring that mechanisms are in place for equitable access, particularly in developing countries.”
The High-Level Meeting was the second ever to be dedicated to AMR. The meeting offered a forum for world leaders, including Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers of Health, to review progress on global, regional, and national efforts to tackle AMR and agree on new commitments to address one of the top global public health and development threats. The first High-Level Meeting on AMR was held in 2016.
“While bacterial infections already kill millions of people annually and antimicrobial resistance is on the rise, the clinical pipeline of antibacterial products is insufficient, requiring innovative solutions that include a unified, global effort to invest in research and development,” said Damiano de Felice, Chief of External Affairs at CARB-X. “We are grateful for the United Nations’ recognition and commitment to the advancement of antibacterial innovation, access and stewardship, especially the work done by public-private partnerships such as CARB-X and GARDP. We remain committed to supporting the most promising R&D projects for infections whose burden is most heavily felt in low- and middle-income countries, and to attaching clear conditions facilitating global access and stewardship to our grants.”
Representatives from CARB-X participated in the High-Level Meeting. During the week of UNGA 79, they also spoke at a series of side-events organized by partners such as the Danish Government, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Foreign Policy, IQVIA, Health and Global Policy Institute, Business Council for the United Nations, Asia-Europe Foundation and PATH.
New estimates published in September 2024 reveal that 39 million deaths directly attributable to bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will occur between 2025-2050. This is equal to three deaths every minute. Under an alternative scenario where urgent action is taken to replenish a Gram-negative drug pipeline to prevent AMR deaths, more than 11 million deaths could be averted in the same timeframe. This is part of the mission of CARB-X, which is accelerating the development of high-value, innovative products to prevent, diagnose and treat the most dangerous bacterial infections that have become resistant to antibiotics. CARB-X emphasizes performance characteristics that patients need against infections driving the greatest global morbidity and mortality.
When CARB-X was founded in 2016, the early-stage antibiotic pipeline was stalled. Since inception, CARB-X has supported 104 R&D projects in 13 countries, and CARB-X product developers have made tremendous progress: 18 projects have advanced into or completed clinical trials; 12 remain active in clinical development, including late-stage clinical trials; and two diagnostic products have reached the market. Additionally, at least 9 product developers with active R&D projects have already secured advanced development partnerships which can help support their clinical development after leaving the CARB-X portfolio. All CARB-X-funded product developers are contractually obligated to develop a Stewardship and Access Plan for their funded product, outlining what strategies they will deploy to ensure responsible stewardship and appropriate access in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
CARB-X is funded in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) under agreement number 75A50122C00028 and by awards from Wellcome (WT224842), Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in HHS, provides support in the form of in-kind services through access to a suite of preclinical services for product development. The content of this press release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of any CARB-X funders.
CARB-X Contact: Marissa Novel, carbxpr@bu.edu
About CARB-X
CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator) is a global non-profit partnership dedicated to supporting early-stage antibacterial research and development to address the rising threat of drug-resistant bacteria. CARB-X supports innovative therapeutics, preventatives and rapid diagnostics. CARB-X is led by Boston University and funded by a consortium of governments and foundations. CARB-X funds only projects that target drug-resistant bacteria highlighted on the CDC’s Antibiotic Resistant Threats list, or the Priority Bacterial Pathogens list published by the WHO, with a priority on those pathogens deemed Serious or Urgent on the CDC list or Critical or High on the WHO list. https://carb-x.org/ | X (formerly Twitter) @CARB_X
About BARDA and NIAID
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services works to enhance and protect the health and well-being of all Americans, providing for effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health, and social services. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) leads the nation’s medical and public health preparedness for, response to and recovery from disaster and other public health emergencies. Within ASPR, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) invests in innovation, advanced research and development, acquisition, and manufacturing of medical countermeasures – vaccines, drugs, therapeutics, diagnostic tools, and non-pharmaceutical products – needed to combat health security threats and is one of the leading public sector funders of advanced development of antimicrobial therapeutics and diagnostics.
As part of HHS, NIH is the primary U.S. federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. NIAID conducts and supports research — at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide — to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.
About Wellcome
Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we’re taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health.
About the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Education and research are crucial foundations for our future. Thus, the promotion of education, science and research is a policy priority of the German Federal Government. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) strengthens education at all stages of life and provides support for scientific research and innovation.
About the Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF)
The Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) is a One Health aid fund that supports research and development around the world to reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans, animals and the environment for the benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). GAMRIF core objectives are to develop innovative One Health solutions to tackle AMR; increase availability of context-specific, accessible, and affordable innovations for LMICs; establish international research partnerships with industry, academia, and governments; and collaborate with and leverage additional funding from other global donors.
About the Public Health Agency of Canada
The Public Health Agency of Canada is an agency of the Government of Canada that is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic disease control and prevention. Created in 2004 with a mission to promote and protect the health of Canadians through leadership, partnership, innovation and action in public health, the Agency’s activities focus on preventing disease and injuries, responding to public health threats, promoting good physical and mental health, and providing information to support informed decision making. The Agency has a long history of working with domestic and international partners on combatting health threats, including AMR. Most recently, the Agency released the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on AMR, a multijurisdictional effort that emphasizes One Health collaboration to make progress on AMR.
About the Novo Nordisk Foundation
Established in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Foundation’s mission is to progress research and innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases as well as to advance knowledge and solutions to support a green transformation of society.
About Boston University
Founded in 1839, Boston University is an internationally recognized institution of higher education and research. With nearly 37,000 students, it is the third-largest independent university in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges and the interdisciplinary Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, along with a number of multi-disciplinary centers and institutes integral to the University’s research and teaching mission. In 2012, BU joined the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 71 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. For further information, please contact Kim Miragliuolo at kmira@bu.edu. www.bu.edu