Progress Report: AMR Industry Alliance 2021 Survey

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the key global public health challenges of our time. At least 700,000 people die each year due to AMR-related causes. Left unchecked, the annual global death toll from AMR could reach ten million by 2050. The emergence of treatment-resistant bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi threatens to make previously treatable infections more difficult to treat or cure and poses new risks to the safety of existing medical procedures, such as chemotherapy. There are also growing concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate the threat of AMR due to increased or inappropriate antimicrobial use. In addition, evidence suggests that the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections, including treatment-resistant ones, also increased with the burden of COVID-19. In recent years, and in recognition of the complexity of the challenge presented by AMR, efforts to tackle the emergence and spread of AMR have been enhanced by governments, international organisations, the life sciences industries, healthcare professionals, academics, not-for-profit organisations and civil societies.