EFPIA contributes to IMI €223,7 million programme to tackle antibiotic resistance

The threat to public health from antibiotic resistance requires collaboration and strong commitment. Building on the European Commissions’ Action Plan against the rising threats from Antimicrobial Resistance, launched last November, today’s announcement illustrates the will of the pharmaceutical industry to embrace innovative solutions to deliver new and effective antibiotics to patients. The goal of this new research programme is to capitalise on the innovative and collaborative public-private partnership approach, underpinned by an unprecedented level of data sharing in this field that will positively impact all aspects of antimicrobial resistance.

Richard Bergström, Director-General of EFPIA said: “Our researchers and the scientific community has realised that we can only deal with this urgent threat by working together and pooling our knowledge. IMI is perfectly suited for such open innovation. And by co-funding clinical trials, policy makers in Europe have created a strong incentive for companies and investors to come back to this field of research”.
The underlying reason for the call is the need for public and private partners to work together to tackle the antibiotic resistance problem we face in Europe. The scientific and regulatory challenges facing antibiotic development are enormous. It is essential that academic and industrial scientists join forces to progress the discovery and development of novel antibiotic medicines for the treatment of the most urgent infections.

IMI’s programme is part of the European Commissions’ Action Plan. Today sees the launch of the first set of projects to be funded in this area, announced today in IMI’s 6th Call for proposals, a joint budget of up to €223,7 million is foreseen (€109 million IMI funding + €114,7 million in kind contribution by participating EFPIA companies). A number of additional projects are currently under development with a total estimated budget of nearly €600M over the 7 year programme.

For the longer-term, we will build on what we are learning through IMI and integrate that learning in our proposal for future collaboration.

Facts and Figures on Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global public health threat and a problem both in humans and in animals. Resistance can also spread from animals to humans through the food chain or direct contact. Worldwide methicillin-resistance Staphylococcus aureus (MSRA) is a major threat.

In Europe 25,000 deaths were reported in 2007 as a result of AMR. This clinical burden is associated with soaring treatment and societal costs with the cost of AMR being estimated at around €1,5 billion per year in Europe (see ECDC/EMEA joint technical report "The bacterial challenge: time to react", 2009).

Despite the recognized need for new antimicrobials for clinical use, the reality is that only two new classes of antibiotics have been brought to market in the last 30 years and many drug developers have left the field.

Key barriers to the development and delivery of effective antibiotics are:
1) Discovery and development of novel antibacterial agents is scientifically challenging;
2) Substantial regulatory challenges to the introduction of novel antibacterial agents;
3) Low return on investment relative to other medicines making it an unattractive area for drug developers therefore limiting the future antibiotic pipeline.

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About EFPIA
EFPIA represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Through its direct membership of 31 national associations and 35 leading pharmaceutical companies, EFPIA provides the voice of 2,000 companies committed to researching, developing and bringing new medicines to improve health and quality of life around the world.

EFPIA members are committed to delivering innovative medicines to address unmet needs of patients and reducing the burden of chronic diseases for Europe’s ageing population. EFPIA believes in close cooperation with its stakeholders to help create sustainable healthcare systems and to develop prompt responses to health threats in Europe.
The pharmaceutical sector directly employs some 640,000 people in Europe including 115,000 working in research and development in 2010. The industry also generates around three to four times more employment both upstream and downstream.

Europe’s research-based pharmaceutical industry generates a substantial trade surplus, estimated at about €46,800 million in 2010, and has contributed significantly to reducing the European Union’s trade deficit in high-tech products. € 27,000 million were spent on research and development in Europe in 2010. Almost a quarter of the EU’s high-tech exports are pharmaceutical products.