The Government of Japan has granted additional funding to the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) to support its vital work in developing new treatments for drug-resistant infections.

The investment by Japan will be used to accelerate GARDP’s research and development into treatments for infections caused by the drug-resistant “priority pathogens” identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as critically in need of new antibiotics. The funding will support GARDP’s work in developing treatments for hospital-acquired infections, sexually transmitted infections and infections in newborns. It will also ensure that treatments are made accessible to all people who need them.

Japan has provided just over US$ 1.8 million in funding to GARDP for the period from April 2022 to March 2023. The funding is part of a one billion yen pledge to GARDP from 2020 to 2025.

GARDP greatly values the support of the Japanese government. “Since 2020, the partnership between Japan and GARDP has been based on the shared belief that developing new treatments and ensuring responsible access for all in need are inseparable. Japan recognizes antimicrobial resistance as a multilateral priority and a key health issue as stated in the recent G7 Health Ministers’ Communiqué. This additional funding to GARDP is an investment that cements our commitment to tackle drug resistance on a global scale,” said Manica Balasegaram, Executive Director of GARDP.

Japan, which will hold the presidency of the G7 in 2023, is committed to helping GARDP achieve its goals.

”International cooperation is indispensable to fight drug-resistant bacterial infections. This includes research and development of antibiotics, ensuring delivery to those who need them and their appropriate use. We support GARDP’s work on a global scale with partners in government, industry, and academia in the research and development of treatments. The Japanese government will continue to promote international initiatives to fight antimicrobial resistance through continuous support for GARDP,” said Fukushima Yasumasa, Chief Medical and Global Health Officer for Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

In the six years since it was founded, GARDP has completed a landmark observational study on the treatment and care of newborns with sepsis and launched a large global phase 3 trial for a new treatment for drug-resistant gonorrhoea.

GARDP also recently signed a license and technology transfer agreement in Tokyo, Japan, with Shionogi & Co., a leading global pharmaceutical company in the area of infectious diseases. The agreement, together with a collaboration agreement with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) will provide access to cefiderocol, an antibiotic for the treatment of serious Gram-negative bacterial infections which may be resistant to other antibiotic treatments. The agreement, signed on 15 June 2022, covers 135 countries, including a significant proportion of the world’s population living in areas most affected by antibiotic resistance.

Read the press release in Japanese.

About GARDP

The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) is a Swiss not-for-profit organization developing new treatments for drug-resistant infections that pose the greatest threat to health. GARDP was created in 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and legally founded in 2018 to ensure that everyone who needs antibiotics receives effective and affordable treatment, no matter where they live. It aims to develop new treatments to fight drug-resistant infections, with a focus on sexually transmitted infections, sepsis in newborns and infections in hospitalized adults and children. GARDP is funded by the governments of Australia, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, the Canton of Geneva, as well as Médecins Sans Frontières and private foundations. GARDP is registered under the legal name GARDP Foundation.www.gardp.org