Unitaid-led working group will study how to fight antimicrobial resistance through access to innovative treatments and diagnostics
Geneva – Unitaid has been chosen to chair a new working group on innovation and access for the UN’s Interagency Coordination Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (IACG), a role that supports global efforts to avert a “post-antibiotic era” in which treatments for common infections no longer work.
The subgroup led by Unitaid will present recommendations to the IACG on how investments in innovation, research and boosting access can be harnessed to respond to the global threat of drug-resistant infections.
“The work of IACG is critical to find solutions to the global challenges of emerging resistance in human, animal and plant health,” said Unitaid’s Executive Director Lelio Marmora, who will head the subgroup. “We look forward to working with the other members of this group to look at these challenges holistically, and to developing actionable recommendations.”
A meeting of the IACG in Paris this week also decided the working group members would include: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), UK Chief Medical Officer Sally Davies, The Global Fund, South Centre, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and others. The subgroup was formed this week during a high-level conference in Berlin on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
The United Nations Secretary-General established the ad hoc IACG in 2016 in response to mounting global concern about antibiotics losing their effectiveness. The group’s objective is to provide practical guidance that will ensure a sustained offensive against drug resistance. The group will produce an interim report for the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in September, 2018.
According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance threatens the prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. Globally, 480,000 people develop multi-drug resistant tuberculosis each year, and drug resistance is starting to complicate the fight against HIV and malaria. Microorganisms that develop antimicrobial resistance are sometimes referred to as “superbugs”.
Tackling resistance is a high priority in Unitaid’s 2017-2021 strategy, and essential to reaching global health targets. Unitaid invests half its portfolio—US$ 500 million—in innovative grants to combat resistance in low-and middle-income countries. If additional funding is available, Unitaid is committed to dramatically increasing its investments in AMR.
Unitaid joins Call to Action on antimicrobial resistance in Berlin
Unitaid is at the forefront of efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and invests half its portfolio in innovative grants to combat resistance in low- and middle-income countries. As a member of the Interagency Coordination Group on AMR, Unitaid will be bringing its expertise in innovation and access to support the global response to AMR.
Tackling resistance is a high priority in our 2017-2021 strategy, and vital to reaching global health targets. Unitaid currently has a portfolio of US$ 500 million in resistance related projects, of which US$ 300 million have been committed after September 2016.
We work closely with partners to develop innovative diagnostics for TB drug resistance and to detect HIV among children and measuring viral load; to widen access to new and simple medicines for drug-resistant TB and first line ARVs; and to bring the best TB and HIV drugs, including child-friendly formulations. For all these innovations, Unitaid aims to secure lower prices to ensure wide and equitable access to those most in need.
If additional funding is available, Unitaid is committed to dramatically increase its investments in AMR.
Leveraging innovation to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria in Mozambique — a photo story
Children with tuberculosis at Maputo Central Hospital will soon be able to receive the child-friendly TB treatment developed by the TB Alliance and its partners with funding from Unitaid. The new formulation is soluble, fruit-flavoured, and affordable. Before Unitaid’s investment, children around the world did not have access to appropriate TB medicine. As a result, caregivers often had to cut or crush tablets intended for adults. Imprecise dosing frequently led to continued illness.
A high-level Unitaid delegation visited Mozambique in September 2017 to see first-hand how the innovations it is funding in HIV testing, TB treatment and malaria prevention are making a difference in the lives of adults and children on the ground.
This week we launched our new logo – an abstract, contemporary hummingbird in flight – to express Unitaid’s quick, agile approach to creating global health solutions. The hummingbird debuts along with our new website and our tagline, “Innovation in Global Health”.
The visual changes underline Unitaid’s mission – to fund interventions that have a catalytic effect, preparing the way for other partners to adopt and scale up innovative health products or approaches. A bird in flight embodies our work to find scaled-up solutions that take a big-picture, strategic approach.
The hummingbird’s pointed beak, wingtips and tail suggest bold, courageous focus; its motion represents active, catalytic change; and the shifting colors of its wings convey the transformation Unitaid strives to bring about.
Check out the animation below to see the Unitaid hummingbird take flight.
Review of the Pibrentasvir patent landscape: A scoping report
