Overuse of antibiotics around the globe has created a worrying increase in resistance to many commonly used drugs, writes Carl Harald Janson, lead manager on the International Biotechnology trust.
Superbugs are estimated to already account for 700,000 deaths a year and the problem will only get worse. In May, former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill published the Review on Microbial Resistance's final recommendations. As well as suggesting a campaign to increase awareness of the problem, the report also suggests creating a $2bn global innovation fund and paying $1bn for every new antibiotic discovered. Biotech valuations at their lowest for years This recommendation to provide public funding to private companies highlights one of the key problems: these drugs are ofte...
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