ANTRUK welcomes first report on antibiotic resistance; becomes BIA’s 2015 charity

Professor Colin Garner, Chief Executive of Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK) (www.antibioticresearch.org.uk), the world’s first charity to tackle the impending health disaster of antibiotic resistance, welcomed the publication of the first report by the O’Neill Commission on antibiotic resistance. Set up by the Prime Minister, Jim O’Neill and his colleagues were tasked with looking at the economic and societal costs of antibiotic resistance. The figures published today by the O’Neill commission make sobering reading. They estimate by 2050 there will be 10 million deaths a year from antibiotic resistant infections at a cost of up to $100 trillion. Professor Garner said ‘the O’Neill commission’s first report highlights just how important the work of a charity like ANTRUK could be in tackling this problem. We have reached the tipping point, where there is general agreement that new antibiotics, better antibiotic stewardship of existing antibiotics and  better diagnostics are needed. We now require to turn words into action which requires a quantum increase in funding for this neglected disease area’.

On the same day that the O’Neill Commission reported its findings, the UK’s premier trade association of pharmaceutical and biotechnology, the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) has announced that ANTRUK will be their charity of the year in 2015. The first major fundraising event will be a Gala Dinner with over 600 guests to be held at the Natural History Museum, London at the end of January.

Steve Bates, Chief Executive Officer, BIA said:

Antibiotic resistance is a major global problem with significant implications for public health. The biotech industry will play a key role in the solution to antibiotic resistance through the development of new antibiotics, diagnostics and novel therapies. Today I am representing the BIA at a meeting at the Wellcome Trust to discuss Jim O’Neill’s crucial review on this matter and the BIA will also continue to advocate on this issue on the global stage as part of the newly formed International Council of Biotech Associations. The BIA pushed hard for antimicrobial resistance to be on this agenda and this announcement shows our continued commitment to this issue. We are delighted to be able to support the work of Antibiotic Research UK and raise the profile of this new charity.

Professor Colin Garner, Chief Executive, ANTRUK said:

We are delighted to have been chosen by the BIA as their charity of the year for 2015 in recognition of our pioneering efforts to highlight the growing problem of antibiotic resistance and to find new therapies. As a new charity we are keen to see as many people as possible being made aware about our objective of developing new therapies against antibiotic resistant bacteria. The BIA is a powerful body whose members represent some of the UK’s leading pharma and biotech companies. By being selected as the BIA’s 2015 charity means that Antibiotic Research UK will be made known to some of the country’s most influential and knowledgeable drug developers.