New report shows potential damage caused by antimicrobial resistance

A new report has shed light on the potentially significant economic and public health damage that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could cause if left unchecked.

The first paper from the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance has been published, estimating that by 2050, the global cost of AMR will be up to $100 trillion (63.75 trillion pounds) and will account for ten million extra deaths a year.

Public Health England has welcomed the report as a timely reminder. Professor Neil Woodford, head of the Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infections Reference Unit at Public Health England, contributed to the research.

It was stressed that AMR is a global problem that needs to be tackled proactively by ensuring better prescribing habits, while also encouraging research into new therapies to replace ones that are no longer effective.

Professor Anthony Kessel, director for international public health at Public Health England, said: "If ever we needed a reminder of what a public health catastrophe looks like, then this has to be it."

Despite these warnings, previous government analysis shows there was an increase in the use of antibiotics between 2010 and 2013, which was linked to rising levels of antibiotic resistance.