Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia 2025

Supercharging the fight against superbugs3 In September 2024, shortly before the UN General Assembly’s second high-level meeting on AMR, 80 major investors called on global leaders to scale-up their efforts in tackling AMR, calling it “a systemic risk akin to COVID-19 and the 2008 financial crisis”. The group, known as the Investor Action on AMR (IAAMR) initiative, highlighted that AMR-related productivity losses alone could cost the world $443 billion per year by 2035.93 3.1 Opportunities ripe for capitalizing Three sprints and a marathon could turn the tide against AMR. More investment in education, prevention and monitoring are the sprints needed now. The marathon is the search for novel therapeutics and ensuring access to essential medicines for all. AMR is a systemic risk akin to COVID-19 and the 2008 financial crisis – by 2035, AMR-related productivity losses alone could cost the world $443 billion per year. Investor Action on Antimicrobial Resistance (IAAMR) initiative In the Asia-Pacific region, timely investments in innovative AMR solutions over the next decade are projected to generate healthcare savings of $10-15 billion per year, along with an additional $35-40 billion of annual savings in other socio-economic costs94. There are also ample opportunities to invest in health and agri-food systems in Asia. Governments across the region see improving accessibility to healthcare as a key priority, with sub-regions such as South-East Asia accelerating expansion and improvement of healthcare infrastructure.95 In a global analysis of investment opportunity areas (IOAs) that are commercially viable and have the potential to contribute towards delivering the Sustainable Development Goals, more than one-third (36.4%) of health-related IOAs are in Asia, of which more than half (53.1%) are in healthcare provision. Within the next decade, investments in innovative AMR solutions in the Asia- Pacific are projected to generate healthcare savings of $10-15 billion per year. 20 Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia