Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer for England and UK government adviser, has appointed an expert advisory board to support the Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (GAMRIF).
The 12 member board will advise how the UK can best spend an additional £50 million over the next five years to work with global partners to fund innovative initiatives to tackle drug resistant infections, which includes resistance to antibiotics.
The GAMRIF will help to invest in three key areas:
- High quality research and development and stimulate innovation to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to promote the welfare of people in low and middle income countries
- Neglected areas which may currently lack commercial or academic interest, for example for research that aspires to prolong the shelf life of existing antibiotics
- Areas of research and development around new therapeutics, alternative therapies, preventative measures and diagnostics
The expert advisory board will provide critical advice on aspects such as the precise scope of the fund, scientific objectives and investment opportunities. This will be based on evidence, taking into account existing funding activities nationally and internationally and identifying problems and inefficiencies in the system, as well as where the health need is greatest in low and middle income countries.
Professor Dame Sally Davies says: “Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses the biggest threat to global health with the potential to kill millions each year. No one nation, or sector can tackle this alone and therefore it is critical that we encourage the public, private, and third sectors to work together to tackle AMR globally.
“I am proud that we are bringing together such a wealth of expertise to form a multi-disciplinary board that will identify the gaps within the current funding system and the best opportunities for funding solutions. This is a key part of the UK government strategy for AMR.”
