Continued funding to support portfolio of globally relevant, life-saving antibacterial products
(BOSTON: January 28, 2026) – Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) announced today its renewed partnership with Wellcome, a global charitable foundation which co-founded CARB-X in 2016. Between 2026 and 2028, Wellcome will provide CARB-X with new funding of up to US$60 million to support early-stage research and development of innovative antibacterial products to protect lives from bacterial infections globally.
Recent estimates have shown that 4.7 million deaths were associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 2021, and a cumulative 169 million deaths associated with AMR could occur from 2025 to 2050. Developing new products to prevent, diagnose and treat drug-resistant infections can have long-lasting, positive impacts globally. For example, the regular release of new, potent antibiotics targeting Gram-negative bacteria, one of the priorities withing CARB-X’s research and development strategy, could save an estimated 11.1 million lives from 2025 to 2050.
The new US$60 million award will support the development of innovative antibiotics, preventatives, rapid diagnostics and other life-saving products that target the most dangerous bacteria, syndromes with the greatest global morbidity and mortality, and performance characteristics necessary for patients. By combining non-dilutive funding and expert technical and scientific support, CARB-X advances innovative science toward the clinic, positioning products for advanced development and downstream partner support. This includes a diverse portfolio of products to address high-burden infections in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including lower respiratory tract infections, bloodstream infections that can lead to sepsis, sexually transmitted infections, and more.
“The growing issue of drug resistance is one felt most keenly by people in low- and middle-income countries, yet they are too often last in line for new solutions,” said Alex Pym, Director of Infectious Disease at Wellcome. “There is an urgent need for new antibiotics and tools to tackle AMR. By integrating funding with technical expertise, CARB-X can accelerate innovation to progress ambitious science from the lab to the clinic, ensuring new tools are accessible to those in greatest need – protecting and saving lives globally.”
“Antimicrobial resistance is eroding the foundations of modern medicine, and this affects vulnerable people in low-resource setting disproportionally,” said Kevin Outterson, Executive Director of CARB-X. “Wellcome’s renewed partnership is a powerful vote of confidence in a model that backs bold science, de-risks early innovation, and keeps patient needs at the forefront. Together, we are building a pipeline that delivers innovative products responsibly, ensuring they are used wisely and reach the people who need them.”
Since its inception, CARB-X has supported 121 R&D projects in 15 countries, and CARB-X product developers have made significant progress: 24 projects have advanced into or completed clinical trials; 14 remain active in late-stage clinical development; and 3 products have reached the market. Additionally, more than 10 product developers with active R&D projects have already secured advanced development partnerships to 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 product, outlining strategies to ensure responsible stewardship and appropriate access in LMICs.
Wellcome has partnered with CARB-X since 2016, when it co-founded the initiative with the U.S. government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within US Department of Health and Human Services. Today, the CARB-X public-private partnership receives financial support from multiple governments and private foundations focused on global health. The value of CARB-X has been recognized in numerous G7 and G20 Communiqués as well as the UN Political Declaration on AMR from 2024.
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), the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF), the Gates Foundation, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), and Japan’s Ministry of Health. 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 publication 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 the most serious, resistant bacteria identified on global priority lists, syndromes with the greatest global morbidity and mortality, and performance characteristics necessary for patients. https://carb-x.org/ | X (formerly Twitter) @CARB_X
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 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 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 needed to combat health security threats. BARDA is one of the leading public sector funders of advanced development of antimicrobial therapeutics and diagnostics worldwide, having invested more than $2.7 billion in antimicrobial products since 2010. This investment has supported the development of over 190 antimicrobial products and led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of six new antibiotics and FDA 510(k) clearance of 10 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.
About the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space and Research (BMFTR)
Research and innovation are the foundations for our future. The promotion of science and research by BMFTR represents an important contribution to securing Germany’s prosperity. Research is a German Federal Government policy priority, which is reflected in the development of the funding it is making available to these fields.
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 (PHAC), established in 2004, is responsible for public health, emergency preparedness and response, and infectious and chronic disease control and prevention. Its mission is to improve the health of all people and communities in Canada by addressing public health priorities through science, innovation, service delivery, and collaborative action. The Agency collaborates closely with all levels of government, non-government organizations, and international partners to build an effective public health system. PHAC has a strong history of addressing health threats, including collaboration on a One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As part of the Pan-Canadian Action Plan on AMR 2023-2027, PHAC is developing an economic pull-incentive pilot project which aims to increase access to essential antimicrobial drugs not yet market-authorized in Canada to address priority unmet public health needs.
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. www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en
Ministry of Economy and Finance of Italy
The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) performs the functions and tasks incumbent on the State in matters of economic and financial policy, budgeting, public investment planning and public debt management. The Ministry’s activities include coordinating and monitoring public spending and its trends, tax policies and the tax system and state assets. Moreover, the Ministry represents the Italian Government in the main European and international economic and financial fora, performs functions related to global governance and international financial cooperation, maintains relations with international economic, monetary, and financial institutions (such as the IMF, OECD, and Multilateral Development Banks), and negotiates and concludes international agreements and treaties with economic and financial content.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW)
MHLW is a ministry of the Government of Japan whose missions are to improve and promote social welfare, social security, and public health in order to secure and improve the livelihoods of the people and contribute to economic development. Recognizing the urgent global public health threat posed by AMR, MHLW has been supporting various domestic and international efforts to advance research and development of antimicrobials. MHLW has committed to providing contributions to CARB-X from 2024 to 2026.
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 one of the largest private residential universities in the United States. BU consists of 17 schools and colleges, along with the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences and 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 leading research universities in the United States and Canada. For further information, please contact Kim Miragliuolo at kmira@bu.edu. www.bu.edu