Development finance ‘paramount’ in fight against AMR pandemic

In recent decades, the biological phenomenon known as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites become resistant to existing medicines – has resulted in the majority of our antimicrobial therapies becoming obsolete, leaving the world’s population susceptible to an ever-increasing range of infections. As a result, the possibility of a bacterial pandemic is today widely recognised as an imminent threat.

In a bid to combat the issue, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and BioVersys, a Swiss clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing treatments for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, last month signed a €20 million ($24.4 million) venture debt transaction. The financing supports the company’s research and development of a diverse pipeline of drugs that address AMR.