One of the greatest dangers for our health is the increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. A new multi-billion dollar fund is investing in the development of new drugs to avert the feared catastrophe.

What is it about

The number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is increasing. Around 25 percent of the population in Switzerland needs one antibiotic per year. If these drugs are no longer effective, the problem takes on entirely new dimensions - more devastating than the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is therefore surprising that there is little research in this area and hardly any new medicines are coming onto the market. But unlike Covid-19, the antibiotics crisis is preventable. That is why the leading pharmaceutical companies have joined forces, set up a new fund and filled the pot with a billion dollars. Read more here.

Why this is important

The market for antibiotics is characterized by extremely low drug prices and little research into new products. The challenge is to free up enough investment to develop new antibiotic drugs. The fund should make this possible by investing in small biotech companies.

The Globalance View

Growing antimicrobial resistance is a global problem and must be tackled in a coordinated way by all health sector actors. The Fund is an important step in the right direction, but all actors must be committed.

Research must be stepped up in a targeted manner - even if the prospects for returns are not the same as for other diseases. As part of the Globalance Footprint analysis, we evaluate pharmaceutical companies according to their contribution to improving access to urgently needed active ingredients worldwide.