EFPIA, the voice of the research-based pharmaceutical industry in Europe, welcomes the launch today by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) public-private partnership, a €223,7 million programme to tackle antimicrobial resistance and to speed up the development of new antibiotics.

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.

Contact

Richard Bergström, Tel: (+32) 2 626 25 55
E-mail: newsroom@efpia.org

Useful links
www.efpia.eu
www.imi.europa.eu

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).

About EFPIA:

EFPIA represents the pharmaceutical industry operating in Europe. Through its direct membership of 33 national associations and 39 leading pharmaceutical companies, EFPIA provides the voice of 1,900 companies committed to researching, developing and bringing new medicines to improve health and quality of life around the world. The pharmaceutical industry invests 27.5 billion on research and development per year in Europe and directly employs 660,000 people including 116,000 in R&D units in Europe. 

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.

Media Contact:

Nicholas Elles
Communications Manager
EFPIA 
Rue du Trone, 108
1050 Brussels
TEL:  +32 (0)2 626 24 79
Email : communications@efpia.eu