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

To date, it has taken 10-15 years and over $1 billion of investment to develop each successful new antimicrobial drug. Equally, increasing access to both novel and existing essential medicines requires patient and consistent effort to coordinate global supply chains, negotiate manufacturing and technology transfer agreements, and fulfil last-mile delivery of therapeutics to communities in need. Both these aspects of “treating” AMR can be characterized as a marathon – but it is one that must begin now. Fund productization and commercialization of later-stage projects Investing in the development of new antibiotics presents a significant opportunity to address AMR while ensuring the sustainability of global health. The current barriers to antibiotic discovery, including low returns on investment, high scientific risks and challenges in the early stages of drug development, create a need for innovative financing models. Academic groups and small companies often struggle with the cost and complexity of initial research, leaving many potential antibiotics in the exploratory phase. A strategic investment in early-stage research, alongside risk mitigation through public-private partnerships, can overcome these challenges, as demonstrated in successful models for malaria and neglected tropical diseases.150 However, building a more robust therapeutic pipeline also includes ensuring that drug candidates can cross the proverbial “valley of death” that lies between early-stage drug development and the process of productization (the process of selling a standardized service or product), regulatory approval and eventual launch to market. Existing AMR funds are largely focused on early-stage target and drug candidate discovery, stretching at most into Phase 1 clinical trials. Yet, far more resources are required to develop the drug candidate further and propel it across the finish line. There is a pronounced gap in later-stage projects, as well as in ensuring market adoption and distribution, highlighting windows of opportunity for greater involvement by funders. There is economic benefit in doing so as well – the global antibiotics market size is expected to reach around $86 billion by 2033, with the Asia-Pacific accounting for the highest market share.151The process of discovering and commercializing new treatments (i.e. antibiotics and antimicrobials) for use with humans, agriculture and livestock is a long-term endeavour. Improving access to existing treatments is equally time-consuming.Invest in R&D and increase access to novel and essential medicines Existing AMR funds are largely focused on early- stage target and drug discovery – far more resources are required to develop the drug candidate further and propel it across the finish line.Marathon: Treat 4 32 Targeted Action and Financing the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance in Asia