UK and China form fund to tackle drug-resistant infections

The UK has announced the formation of a new Global Antimicrobial Resistance Research Innovation Fund with China.

Established following Chinese president Xi Jinping's state visit, the aim of the fund is to encourage further investment from other governments and the private sector to address an issue that is recognised as one of the greatest healthcare problems in the world.

The fund will invite bids from industry, academia and other bodies, creating international partnerships to build a global response and support new research to reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Prime minister David Cameron said: "We have talked about some of the less familiar challenges we now face, such as how to tackle antimicrobial resistance, where the UK is a world leader."

A government-backed report from last year indicated that a continued rise in the current trend could potentially lead to ten million people dying every year by 2050.

It could lead to routine operations – and even childbirth – becoming increasingly dangerous as the required antibiotics become useless. In the UK, more than 25,000 deaths a year are currently attributed to drug-resistant infections.