Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Review

Summary

The AMR Review was commissioned in 2014 by David Cameron, chaired by Jim O’Neill, and funded by the Wellcome Trust and the UK government.1

At the end of the two year reporting process, the AMR Review proposed the creation of a Global Innovation Fund of \$2bn over 5 years for early-stage and non-commercial research; and a system of market entry rewards of around one billion USD per drug for effective treatments.2 These rewards would be allocated conditional on affordable access and in proportion to social value.3

The report set out a number of possible sources of funding. A percentage of government or international organisation spending could be allocated to AMR.4 Alternatively, mechanisms like a charge on pharmaceutical companies, a tax on antibiotics or a new antibiotics voucher could be used.[^18]

Notes

Analysis

Scope: The proposed fund would target all stages of R&D in the field of antibiotics.

Access: The price of antibiotics would fall, as prizes would be conditional on affordable access. With regards antibiotics, the primary problem is over-prescription rather than under-availability, so distribution incentives are not salient.

Innovation: The prizes would be allocated in relation to social value, so incentives would be linked to some proxy for health impact.

Efficiency: The prize element of the fund is market based.

Governability: The fund would require complex global governance, and for states to cede control over this part of spending. The selection process would need to be robust against political interference.

Political Feasibility: There is wider interest in AMR globally, including discussions at the G20.

Relation to other proposals

Political strategy

Sources

Official website: “Home | AMR Review.” Accessed July 19, 2017. https://amr-review.org/.

Final report: Jim O’Neill. “Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations.” The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, 2016.

UK Government response to report: “Government Response to the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance.” HM Government, 2016. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/553471/Gov_response_AMR_Review.pdf.

Preliminary report: Jim O’Neill. “Securing New Drugs for Future Generations: The Pipeline of Antibiotics.” The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, 2015.


  1. “Home | AMR Review.” [return]
  2. Jim O’Neill, “Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations”, p. 6. [return]
  3. Jim O’Neill, “Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations”, p. 56. [return]
  4. Jim O’Neill, “Tackling Drug-Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations”, p. 66. [return]