Leaders look forward to collaborating with the Italian Presidency in 2024
(BOSTON: June 7, 2023) – The importance of supporting the Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) as a global push incentive that coordinates and accelerates much-needed antibacterial innovation featured prominently on the G7 agenda during the past month in Japan. In the G7 Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué, the G7 Heads of State and Governments recognized “the rapid escalation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally” and reiterated their commitment “to exploring and implementing push and pull incentives to accelerate R&D of antimicrobials as well as promoting antimicrobial access and stewardship for their prudent and appropriate use toward the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR in 2024.”
One week before, in the G7 Nagasaki Health Ministers’ Communiqué, the G7 Health Ministers highlighted that AMR “undermines the practice of modern medicine, devastates health outcomes and systems, and poses a major threat to public health, and economies across the G7 and world, due to a loss of effective antimicrobial treatments.” Consequently, they restated their commitment to “exploring and implementing push and pull incentives that promote investment in R&D of antimicrobials, including contributing to existing global pooled efforts, such as CARB-X, GARDP and SECURE, at the earliest opportunity and within reasonable and feasible timelines.”
The G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors added their voice reaffirming their “commitment to supporting antibiotic development” in the G7 Niigata Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting Communiqué. They also welcomed the updated AMR progress report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global AMR R&D Hub, which highlighted that “[t]he small biotech companies and research groups developing the most promising pre-clinical antibacterial R&D projects need additional push funding to replenish a weak clinical pipeline” and recommended commitments “to further financing of public-private partnerships such as CARB-X and GARDP.”
CARB-X welcomes these renewed commitments to support antibacterial R&D and expresses gratitude to the Japanese government for its global leadership to address AMR. “The global clinical pipeline for innovative antibacterial products is dangerously thin,” said Erin Duffy, PhD, Chief of R&D at CARB-X. “The only way to replenish it quickly with impactful candidates is by supporting and accelerating the most promising R&D projects in earlier stages of development. CARB-X is grateful for its existing partnerships with the U.S., German, and U.K. governments, Wellcome and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and looks forward to similar collaborations with other G7 governments. 18 R&D projects from our portfolio have already entered or completed first-in-human clinical trials. We are eager to increase this number soon and bring more innovative products closer to the patients who need them.”
In preparation for the G7 meetings, the Tokyo-based Health and Global Policy Institute invited Kevin Outterson, Executive Director of CARB-X and Arthur B. Fletcher Professor at Boston University School of Law as the keynote speaker of its event dedicated to “Push and Pull Incentives to Address AMR” in September 2022. Professor Outterson and Damiano de Felice, PhD, Director of Development and External Engagement at CARB-X also spoke at the 9th Nikkei FT Communicable Diseases Conference in December 2022 and at the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) High-Level Conference on “Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in an Era of AMR and Pandemics” in March 2023. The report of the ASEF High-Level Conference concluded that “adequate funding is needed to empower existing R&D public-private partnerships to support and coordinate the development of and provision of access to new antimicrobials.”
Italy will hold the G7 Presidency next year. CARB-X looks forward to working with the Italian government and other Italian stakeholders to ensure that supporting antibacterial innovation remains a G7 priority in 2024.
CARB-X is funded in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response; Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority; under agreement number: 75A50122C00028. CARB-X is also funded by awards from Wellcome (WT224842), Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the UK Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF) funded by the UK Government Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 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: Robin Berghaus, 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/ | 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. ASPR leads HHS in preparing the nation to respond to and recovery from the adverse health effects of emergencies, supporting communities’ ability to withstand adversity, strengthening health and response systems, and enhancing national health security. Within ASPR, 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. 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.
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 Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) is the U.K. Government department which is responsible for helping people to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. GAMRIF was established to provide seed funding for innovative research and development, specifically in neglected and underinvested areas, in the field of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). GAMRIF is a c.£50m U.K. aid investment, which means all projects funded must support research primarily and directly for the benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Fund takes a ‘One Health’ approach, seeking to invest in potential solutions to reduce the threat of AMR in humans, animals, fish and the environment. The Fund seeks to leverage additional global funding through interaction with international government bodies, public-private partnerships, product development partnerships, global funding mechanisms and global fora.
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 65 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. For further information, please contact Kim Miragliuolo at kmira@bu.edu. www.bu.edu