International column: New antibiotics urgently needed

Somewhere in the world right now, a newborn with an infection is fighting to survive. If the antibiotics given to him do not work, there is a high probability that he will die. This is the reality of the worrying rise in antibiotic resistance.

This phenomenon occurs when the bacteria evolve and end up no longer reacting to these treatments. This resistance is also fueled by the misuse and overuse of these drugs. Because of this resistance to treatment, antibiotics lose their effectiveness and infections can become difficult, if not impossible, to treat. The spread of these antibiotic-resistant infections is a global health emergency from which Switzerland is not immune.

In Geneva, a multidisciplinary team from the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) managed for the first time to successfully treat a 41-year-old patient suffering from a chronic bacterial infection resistant to antibiotics.

After six months of hospitalization at the HUG, totally dependent on continuous intravenous antibiotic therapy and with no prospect of improvement, the patient received a last-resort experimental treatment with phages. Fortunately, thanks to the combination of antibiotics and phage therapy, the patient was finally cured.

According to a recent study published in ‘The Lancet’, nearly 1.3 million people died of drug-resistant infections in 2019, making antimicrobial resistance one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Lack of investment in new antibiotics and other treatments – very few antibiotics have been developed in the past 25 years – makes the situation worse. It is clear that this must change.

The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP), founded in 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), is committed to playing a important role in changing the trajectory and developing antibiotics against drug-resistant infections, which pose the greatest threat to public health. Five years ago this year, we obtained the status of an independent Swiss foundation.

With the support of our donors, including the Federal Council and the Canton of Geneva, we are working with our partners in three key areas where new antibiotics are urgently needed: neonatal sepsis, sexually transmitted infections, including gonorrhea, and bacterial infections in hospitalized adults and children.

Alongside these activities, we are also working to improve access to essential antibiotics for those who need them. Much remains to be done to help patients and combat the scourge of antibiotic-resistant infections. We invite the Swiss people, including the private sector and philanthropic foundations, to support us in jointly developing treatments that can save lives in our country and around the world.

Like climate change and COVID-19, the pandemic of drug-resistant infections must spur the world to action. Investing in the development of new antibiotics and access to these treatments will allow us to ensure a healthier future for everyone.

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