GSK and J&J Lead in Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance, Report Says

Drugmakers must do more to ensure access to treatments for antimicrobial-resistant superbugs, but GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson are doing more than other organizations on 16 metrics of progress, according to the Access to Medicines Foundation, a Netherlands-based non-profit.

The foundation targeted 30 drug companies to assess their progress in addressing antimicrobial resistance — including eight research-based drugmakers, ten generics manufacturers; and 12 biopharmaceutical companies. It found that only about half of the surveyed companies currently conducting antimicrobial research have contingency plans to limit misuse and ensure access.

The foundation also found that of nearly 30 antibiotics for high-priority pathogens nearing the end of the development process, only two — Tetraphase’s intra-abdominal and urinary tract infection treatment eravacycline and Johnson & Johnson’s tuberculosis treatment bedaquiline — have a plan in place to ensure access when development is complete.