Rewards proposed for anti-superbug developers
The U.K.-government sponsored Review on Antimicrobial Resistance recommended the creation of a global "new entry reward" mechanism that would pay companies $800 million-$1.3 billion to develop antibiotics that meet specified public health needs. The rewards would be intended to "'de-link' the profitability of an antibiotic from volumes sold, reducing uncertainty and enabling reward without encouraging poor stewardship," according to a final report the group released Wednesday. "Such rewards would be paid after a successful product comes to market and be proportionate to unmet medical need," the report said.
The payments would come with strings attached, including "commitments to ensuring global, affordable access to the product - either directly or through licensing arrangements such as the Medicines Patent Pool," as well as restrictions on marketing, and commitments to continued post-approval development. The proposal builds on ideas the group presented in an interim report released last year (see BioCentury, Jan. 25). ...