Millions of people around the world could die before 2050 as many diseases are increasingly growing resistant to the drugs we use to treat them.
Ten million people around the world will die unnecessarily every year by 2050 unless new antibiotics are created to tackle drug-resistant infections, British “Тhe Independent” reports.
There are predictions, which warn that drug resistance will cost the global economy up to £63 trillion.
Already a new strain of E. coli (commensal parasite in the human gastrointestinal tract) has been identified that is resistant to the last known class of antibiotics that can treat it. It adds that many other treatable illnesses, such as tuberculosis (TB), are becoming increasingly resistant to drugs.
The report, which focuses on the economic consequences of drug resistance, was led by the former Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill. It calls for incentives for drug companies to develop “last resort” treatments and for controls on the use of drugs to minimize resistance. Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, said: “This is a compelling piece of work, which takes us a step forward in understanding the true gravity of the threat.”
