E-DRUG: AMR Benchmark - First independent assessment: pharmaceutical company AMR action
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear E-drug colleagues,
I'm emailing to inform you that the first Antimicrobial Resistance
Benchmark 2018 was launched 23 January by the Access to Medicine
Foundation. It is now live on our dedicated website at
https://amrbenchmark.org/
and available for free to download.
The report, as a result of stakeholder input, measures companies against
the consensus view on areas where they should be contributing to efforts to
limit AMR. Thanks to all those who contributed to this.
I've included a high-level summary of the Benchmark, and some of the key
findings for this report, but for further details and a more in-depth
analysis of the Benchmark please read the full report.
HOW THE BENCHMARK COMPARED
The Benchmark compares 30 companies selected on their market presence,
expertise in developing critically needed antimicrobials and their public
commitments to tackling AMR. They include eight large research-based
pharmaceutical companies, ten generic medicine manufacturers and 12
biopharmaceutical companies. The main areas tracked are: R&D for new
antimicrobials, policies for ensuring antibiotics are manufactured
responsibly, and approaches to ensure antimicrobials are accessible and
used wisely. Information was gathered and cross-checked from multiple
sources.
BENCHMARK PERFORMANCE
The AMR Benchmark identified 10 areas where alignment exists on AMR
priorities for pharmaceutical companies between the final report of the UK
Review on AMR, the Interagency Coordination Group (IACG) on Antimicrobial
Resistance and the Declaration by the Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and
Diagnostics Industries on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance. There is
evidence of action by multiple companies in each area, with most companies
active in antimicrobial R&D. Some companies, such as GSK, are active in all
areas. Other companies are active in only a few areas, while low disclosure
prevents a full analysis of a few companies.
The eight large research-based pharmaceutical companies are led by two
companies: GSK, which has the largest antimicrobial pipeline for priority
pathogens, and Johnson & Johnson, which has a focus on tuberculosis. They
are followed by Novartis, Pfizer and Sanofi together. Compared to the other
two groups of companies analysed, the large research-based pharmaceutical
companies are the most active against AMR: six out of eight achieved more
than 50% of the points available.
Mylan, Cipla and Fresenius Kabi lead the 10 generic medicine manufacturers
in scope. All three are active in stewardship. Mylan and Cipla are the only
two companies in this group to report equitable pricing approaches.
Disclosure among generic medicine manufacturers is generally lower than
among the other two groups of companies.
Of the 12 biopharmaceutical companies included, the strongest performance
comes from Entasis, particularly when it comes to planning ahead for access
and stewardship of clinical-stage candidates.
KEY FINDINGS
* There are 28 antibiotics for high-priority pathogens in late stages of
development. However, only two of these are supported by plans to ensure
the successful candidate can be made accessible and used wisely once it
reaches the market.
* Nearly half of companies evaluated are involved in efforts to track
patterns in antibiotic drug resistance, with AMR surveillance programmes
running in 147 countries. Pneumonia is the most widely-tracked infection.
* Eight companies are setting limits on the levels of antibiotics that can
be released into the environment in wastewaters at their antibiotic
manufacturing facilities. Yet no company publishes what is released in
practice.
* Four companies are taking steps to separate sales agents’ bonuses from
the volume of antibiotics they sell. GSK and Shionogi have fully separated
the two globally, Pfizer is piloting that approach in certain territories,
and Novartis is taking steps toward adjusting its sales teams’ incentives.
In addition to these main areas outlined above, the Benchmark also includes
a breakdown of companies' antimicrobial portfolios, and selected case
studies of how far companies' efforts balance access and stewardship for
specific products. The report also provides a detailed overview of how each
company in scope is addressing AMR.
We hope the level of detail and specificity laid out in this report will be
an effective tool for companies when working on curbing AMR.
Further comments or questions on the Benchmark can be directed to Gowri
Gopalakrishna, Research Programme Manager at
gkrishna@accesstomedicinefoundation.org
Just published: the first independent comparison of pharmaceutical company
action on AMR.
Explore the research on https://amrbenchmark.org.
Many thanks,
Marijn
Marijn Verhoef
Researcher
Access to Medicine Foundation
Naritaweg 227-A, 1043 CB, Amsterdam The Netherlands
www.accesstomedicinefoundation.org
Marijn Verhoef <mverhoef@accesstomedicinefoundation.org>