Global Superbug Response "Needs $5bn Each Year"

Efforts to tackle drug-resistant infections will require a global fund of at least $5 billion each year, researchers have projected.

Researchers from the US Centre for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, the University of Edinburgh, New York University and Fudan University in China outlined their proposals in the journal Science. The researchers say that tackling the problem will require a coordinated global response and recommend introducing targets to reduce the number of drug-resistant infections over the next five years.

$5 billion is needed annually to develop global systems for monitoring resistance and to establish the framework needed to address the threat, they add.

In addition to financial investment, the group proposes global limits on antibiotics use. In particular, use of antibiotics in agriculture to promote growth of farmed animals should be phased out worldwide.

The recommendations come ahead of a United Nations General Assembly meeting in September, where heads of state from around the world will discuss how best to preserve global access to effective medicines for infectious diseases.