2016-11-15
Mind boggling costs published last week by the Swedish Public Health Authority show the magnitude of future financial consequences of antibiotics resistance.
The lowest estimate, based on maintaining antibiotic resistance at today’s levels, will cost 500 million USD in 2024 among other reasons due to more expensive medicines and longer treatment periods.
Should resistance levels however rise, for example to the level that Italy has today, the extra bill come in just over 3 billion USD!
Professor Otto Cars, Founder of ReAct, says:
“This study is really important and shows the enormous magnitude of the cost of antibiotic resistance even in a rich country with a well-functioning health system. But the major health and economic burden of resistance is falling on developing countries. It is my hope that the Swedish Government will take the lead to mobilize support to these countries in their difficult struggle to deal with the lack of effective antibiotics and the serious health and economic consequences of antibiotic resistance”.
Anna Zorzet, Head of ReAct Europe adds:
“The Dutch Minister of Health and Minister for Trade and Development published a bold and visionary paper last week on how to transform medical research and development to deliver the medicines we need. Given Sweden’s longstanding role as a leader in AMR, Swedish Government should lend their support for these proposals.”
Minister Ploumen and Minister Schippers paper in The Lancet.
Report by The Public Health Agency of Sweden, in Swedish, summary in English p. 13 (PDF, 3MB).