[日本語]

The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) praised the Government of Japan for its commitment to the fight against drug-resistant infections, with funding that will contribute to the research and development of new treatments for the pathogens that pose the greatest threat to global health.

Japan announced funding of 1 billion yen (US$9 million) during the World Health Summit in Berlin last year, as part of an event to launch the GARDP strategy for 2020 to 2025. Japan’s initial contribution of approximately 200 million yen (US$1.8 million), which covers the period April 2020 to March 2021, will be used to accelerate the research and development of treatments for the drug-resistant “priority pathogens” identified by the World Health Organization as in critical need of new antibiotics. The funding will also support work to ensure these treatments are used responsibly and made accessible to every person who needs them.

Globally, drug-resistant infections are responsible for 700,000 deaths every year, with this number projected to increase exponentially without urgent action. While drug-resistant bacteria can infect anyone, it is the most vulnerable, including children, the elderly, people with compromised immune systems and those living in countries with weak health systems, who are hit first and hardest.

“Urgent action must be taken to develop new treatments along with raising awareness for prevention activities based on the One Health approach to tackle with drug-resistant infections, which represent one of the greatest threats to health globally,” said Mr KATO Katsunobu, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan. “No one country or sector can tackle this challenge alone. Japan is acutely aware of this responsibility, which is why we are supporting GARDP in their critical work and pursues global efforts to overcome this threat.”

“With its generous contribution, Japan, through the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, is accelerating efforts to address one of the world’s greatest health challenges, as well as progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Dr Manica Balasegaram, Executive Director of GARDP. “We thank Japan, a first-time donor to GARDP, for their partnership and incredible support in helping to tackle antibiotic resistance.”

About GARDP

The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) is a not-for-profit organization developing new treatments for drug-resistant infections that pose the greatest threat to health. Established by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) in 2016, GARDP is a core element of WHO’s Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance. We were created to ensure that everyone who needs antibiotics receives effective and affordable treatment, no matter where they live. We aim to develop five new treatments by 2025 to fight drug-resistant infections, focusing on sexually transmitted infections, sepsis in newborns and infections in hospitalized adults and children. GARDP is funded by the governments of Germany, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Japan, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, as well as Médecins Sans Frontières and private foundations.