Op-ed – Making antimicrobial resistance a strategic public health security priority

Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health and economic threat. In France, it is responsible for approximately 32,700 deaths (including more than 7,300 directly attributable cases) and generates more than €1.5 billion in additional healthcare spending each year. Beyond its economic burden, antimicrobial resistance threatens the very foundations of modern medicine. Cancer treatments, transplantations, intensive care, neonatal medicine, and even routine surgery all depend on the continued availability of effective antibiotics.

This is why the G7 presidency represents a unique opportunity for France to make antimicrobial resistance a strategic public health security priority, by asserting leadership through coordinated international action, as it did at the One Health Summit in April. The fight against antimicrobial resistance must be structured around four priorities. First, the G7 One Health agenda must recognize the growing toll in mortality and economic cost linked to antimicrobial resistance, the threat it poses to modern medicine, and the urgent need to preserve access to effective antimicrobials and diagnostic tests for practitioners and patients.

The second priority is to build a sustainable French model for access and innovation. Without innovation, the fight against antimicrobial resistance is doomed from the outset. Yet, in a market where returns on investment are lacking, research and development (R&D) can no longer keep pace with the rise in resistance, nor meet unmet clinical needs. As a result, the pipeline of new antimicrobials has become extremely limited, and diagnostic tests are neither sufficiently valued nor used as they should be. During their G7 presidencies, most countries have introduced- or committed to introducing – new incentive mechanisms to encourage R&D and patient access to antimicrobials, thereby avoiding a concerning public health scenario. This is notably the case for the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, and Canada. In recent months, the European Union has also adopted measures as part of the revision of its pharmaceutical legislation to strengthen market attractiveness.

An essential safety net

While France is recognized as a leader in the responsible use of antibiotics in hospitals, supported by a highly structured network of reference and expertise centers, it still lags behind when it comes to specific measures to support the development of new antibiotics and facilitate patient access. The G7 is the ideal forum to identify the incentive mechanism best suited to the French context and to commit to its rapid implementation.
The announcement in April of a “special status for antibiotics” could form the basis of such a model. The aim is to guarantee patient access to antimicrobials and innovative diagnostics, reward high-value innovations addressing unmet medical needs, complement responsible-use policies, and strengthen national and European health preparedness. Such an initiative would demonstrate France’s commitment to effectively implementing the new European pharmaceutical legislation and position the country as a leader in Europe.

Other measures could include funding mechanisms for direct R&D support that have proven effective abroad, as well as the creation of a public investment fund to partner with the few remaining private investors in this sector.

The third priority is to protect the future of modern medicine. Infections are the second leading cause of death among cancer patients, and effective antibiotics are recognized as an essential safety net for these patients, who face a four- to sixfold higher risk of resistant infections.
Finally, it is about shaping the future fight against antimicrobial resistance. Building on the international pact to preserve antibiotic effectiveness announced in April, France could leverage its expertise in surveillance to strengthen global coordination in the early detection of resistance. It could even consider appointing an ambassador to represent French positions on this issue. Ahead of the United Nations meeting on antimicrobial resistance scheduled for 2029, France faces a historic opportunity to take the lead on a major global health issue.

Signatories:

Prof. Philippe Amouyel, Lille University Hospital (CHU), Institut Pasteur Lille – Public Health and Epidemiology
Prof. Alexandra Aubry, AP-HP, Sorbonne University, Inserm – Medical Biology
Prof. Frédéric Batteux, Institut Pasteur Lille, Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Alexandre Bleibtreu, SPILF, Phagocenter AP-HP – Infectious Diseases
Jean Carlet, World Alliance Against Antibiotic Resistance (WAAAR), Former President
Prof. Bernard Castan, French Society of Infectious Diseases (SPILF), CHU Périgueux – Infectious Diseases
Prof. Pascal Chavanet – Infectious Diseases
Dr. Benjamin Coiffard, AP-HM – Pulmonology
Delphine Croisier, Vivexia, CEO
Dr. Laurent Debarbieux – Bacteriology and Bacteriophages
Stanislas Desjonqueres, Nexbiome Therapeutics, CEO
Prof. Aurélien Dinh, AP-HP, SPILF – Infectious Diseases
Prof. Laurent Dortet, Bicêtre Hospital, National Reference Center for Antimicrobials – Microbiology
Prof. Pierre Dubois, Toulouse School of Economics – Economics
Thibaut du Fayet, Phagenix, CEO
Dr. Nicolas Dufour, NOVO Pontoise Hospital – Intensive Care / Microbiology
Xavier Duportet, Eligo Bioscience, CEO
Prof. Tristan Ferry, SPILF, HCL, UCBL1, PHAGEinLYON Clinic, CNRS – Infectious Diseases
Maxime Fontanié, Vibiosphen, CEO
Prof. Bruno François, CHU Limoges – Intensive Care
Estelle Fruchet, Shionogi France, Managing Director
Marc Gitzinger, Bioversys France, CEO
Reda Guiha, Pfizer France, President
Jamila Hedjal, France Sepsis Association, President
Benoît Hennion, Tamrisa, Co-CEO
Anne Khoschnud, Molsid, President
François Lacoste, Institut Mérieux, Executive Vice President, Medical and Scientific Affairs
Frédéric Lavie, LEEM (French Pharmaceutical Companies), Scientific and Public Health Director
Prof. Jean-Philippe Lavigne, CHU Nîmes – Bacteriology
Marc Lemonnier, Antabio, CEO
Prof. Philippe Montravers – Intensive Care
Frédéric Peyrane, BEAM Alliance, Secretary General
Prof. Marie-Cécile Ploy – Microbiology
Wandrille Ract-Madoux, Tamrisa, Co-CEO
Amokrane Reghal, Nanoreviv, CEO
Pierre Rocheteau, Olgram, CEO
Prof. Etienne Ruppé – Bacteriology
Eric Samarut, Osta Therapeutics, CEO
Prof. Eric Sennevile, Gustave Dron Hospital – Infectious Diseases
Prof. Jean-Paul Stahl, European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) – President, Infectious Diseases Section
Milovan Stankov-Pugès, NG Biotech, CEO
Florence Séjourné, Aurobac Therapeutics, CEO
Prof. Pierre Tattevin – Infectious Diseases
André Tordeux, Genoscreen, CEO
Frédérique Vieville, Common Swift, CEO
James Anderson, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), Chief R&D Officer & Innovation and AMR Industry Alliance, Chairman of the Board
Peter Beyer, Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP), Deputy Executive Director
Antonella Cardone, Cancer Patients Europe, CEO
Dr. Abdul Ghafur, Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA), Co-Chair
Prof. Souha S. Kanj, International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC), President
David McKinney, Alliance for Reducing Microbial Resistance (ARMoR), Director
Dr. Alexander Natz, European Confederation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs (EUCOPE), Secretary General
Prof. Kevin Outterson, CARB-X, Executive Director
Kristine Peers, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), Executive Director – Legal Affairs
David J. Payne, GSK, Vice President and Head of Research – Infectious Diseases
Najy Alsayed, Menarini Group, Global Therapeutic Area Head – Infectious Diseases
Paul Schaper, MSD, Associate Vice President, International Public Policy