Seoul, 18 October 2024 – The Republic of Korea’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) and the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership (GARDP) have signed a memorandum of understanding that lays the groundwork for joint antibiotic research and development activities to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Korea and beyond.

NIID and GARDP plan to design and deliver clinical trials that provide evidence for the optimal and appropriate use of new and existing antibiotic treatment regimens for serious bacterial infections caused by drug-resistant pathogens. Such trials would aim to improve patient outcomes so that fewer people suffer and die from AMR, as well as to identify effective alternatives to last-resort (i.e. carbapenem) antibiotics. By using these last-resort antibiotics less frequently, drug resistance toward them may be delayed and their lifespan extended.

“This collaboration opens the door to addressing priority AMR challenges within the Republic of Korea while benefiting the global community,” said Seamus O’Brien, R&D Director of GARDP. “We are eager to discuss plans for innovative studies that could improve the outcomes of patients with multidrug-resistant infections.”

According to a new study published in The Lancet, the number of people who die from antibiotic-resistant infections, already in the millions, is expected to start rising steeply after remaining flat for over three decades. From 2025 to 2050, the death toll is expected to increase by 70%, with the total number of deaths associated with antibiotic resistance reaching a staggering 169 million.

“AMR is a massive problem which no single institute or organization can fight alone. This agreement brings together NIID’s evidence-driven efforts to address the burden of infectious diseases and GARDP’s expertise in antibiotic development and access. Together, we hope to create synergies in antibiotic research and development,” said Hee-Chang Jang, Director General of NIID.

Beyond designing and delivering clinical trials, the agreement details possible collaboration on statistical analysis, quality management, safety and pharmacovigilance activities, as well as sharing knowledge to support country-level product registration and adoption of usage guidelines.

The relationship between NIID and GARDP marks the Republic of Korea’s rising leadership in the area of global health, as well as an increasing number of ties between GARDP and Korean researchers and global health leaders. GARDP receives critical funding from the RIGHT Foundation, a Korean funding agency that supports global health R&D. This funding enables GARDP’s collaboration with the Korean company Jeil Pharma to improve antibiotic regimens for neonatal sepsis. GARDP also collaborates with Institut Pasteur Korea in searching for novel compounds with antibacterial activity against drug-resistant bacteria.

NIID

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) is a key research institute under the Korea National Institute of Health. It was founded in September 2020, alongside the inauguration of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, to address the growing need for national-level research on infectious disease response. This was prompted by the recurring crises caused by emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19, the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to environmental changes and the increasing prevalence of chronic infectious diseases associated with aging.

GARDP

We are a not-for-profit global health organization driven to protect people from the rise and spread of drug-resistant infections, one of the biggest threats to us all. By forging the public and private partnerships that matter, we develop and make accessible antibiotic treatments for people who need them. We receive vital support from the governments of Canada, Germany, Japan, Monaco, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Canton of Geneva, the European Union, as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Health EDCTP3, GSK, the RIGHT Foundation, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Wellcome. We are GARDP, the Global Antibiotic Research & Development Partnership. www.gardp.org