BIA reacts to NICE Antimicrobial Resistance subscription model announcement

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published draft guidance on the value of two antimicrobial drugs – Pfizer’s ceftazidime with avibactam and Shionogi’s cefiderocol – to the NHS, as part of a project to test a new subscription-style payment model for antimicrobials. NICE and its partners will now work to “review the approach taken in this project and develop routine arrangements for the evaluation and purchase of antimicrobials for the NHS.”

Responding, Steve Bates OBE, Chief Executive of the BioIndustry Association (BIA), said: “With this announcement, the UK becomes the first country in the world to implement a subscription-based payment model for antibiotics. By determining the price of each drug based on its value to the NHS, the UK is leading the way in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the development of system which incentivises investment into novel antimicrobials. The international AMR community will continue to watch closely as the new model is implemented and expanded, hopefully leading to more investment, start-ups and product launches in the UK.”

 

ENDS

Notes to Editors

1. For more information please contact Jack Fellows, Strategic Communications and Media Manager on [email protected]

2. AMR is an urgent global threat. A recent study found that over 1.27 million deaths were a direct result of antibiotic resistant infections, and without action to address AMR, this figure is expected to rise significantly over coming decades. Combatting AMR requires a range of measures to restrict the use of and more accurately prescribe antimicrobial drugs. Crucially, it also requires innovation to increase the number of effective antimicrobials.