Broad multidisciplinary coalition warns AMR threatens global health security and urges G7 leaders to make it a public health priority
- BEAM Alliance
A new international coalition of more than 60 experts and organisations is calling on G7 leaders to urgently take action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR), warning that this growing threat is responsible for taking an alarming number of lives, undermines the progress of modern medicine, weakens health system preparedness, and jeopardises the sustainability of patient access to life-saving treatments.
AMR is a significant and staggering burden on healthcare systems. According to the WHO, it is associated with an estimated 4.95 million deaths each year. By 2050, annual AMR-associated deaths are projected to exceed 10 million, while the global cost of AMR-attributable in-patient infections is expected to reach $66.4 billion per year.
The coalition – including Institut Pasteur Lille, the BEAM Alliance, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), and over 60 of Europe’s leading infectious disease experts and innovators, patient representatives and healthcare professionals – published a call-to-action ahead of the recent G7 Summit, urging policymakers to place AMR at the heart of global health security discussions. (Signatories below)
The AMR threat extends far beyond resistant infections. The gradual loss of effective antibiotics, alongside the lack of sustainability in the development of novel antibiotics, threatens the very foundations of modern medicine. This includes cancer treatment, transplantation, intensive care, neonatal care, and routine surgery – all of which rely on effective antimicrobials to prevent and treat infections.
“The 2026 G7 leaders issued a positive and welcome declaration calling for keeping the fight against cancer at the top of their political agenda. However, we equally need policymakers’ commitment and action to implement the legislative measures and incentives required to effectively fight the AMR threat. Otherwise, many patients’ lives will continue to be lost despite remarkable advancements in cancer therapies.” – Antonella Cardone, CEO, Cancer Patients Europe
Resistant infections continue to grow and evolve, with implications extending well beyond patient health. The coalition warns that AMR poses a growing threat to health security and resilience, undermining countries’ ability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to health crises.
The coalition also stresses that the innovation ecosystem for novel antibiotics remains fragile because the current market is fundamentally broken – it fails to enable appropriate and timely patient access while generating insufficient returns to sustain investment in antimicrobial R&D. As a result, investors and many companies are withdrawing from the field or refraining from developing novel, effective antibiotics, leaving European patients without the medicines they need.
The coalition is calling for four priority actions:
1. Maintain antimicrobial resistance as a priority on the international political agenda
2. Support sustainable innovation and access models for new antimicrobials and diagnostics
3. Strengthen prevention efforts to reduce avoidable infections and hospitalisations
4. Better integrate AMR preparedness into the care pathways of vulnerable patients, particularly in oncology and transplantation
With AMR already hindering the sustainability of European healthcare systems, the coalition strongly believes that the time for action is now: France’s G7 Presidency represents a unique opportunity to lead the global response to this major health security threat.
