[Event Report] Investing in the Future: The Role of Investors in Saving the World from AMR (September 8, 2021)
date : 12/2/2021
Tags: AMR
AMR Alliance Japan (Secretariat: Health and Global Policy Institute) and Investor Action on AMR held a webinar on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as an investment issue.
Antimicrobials are vital to efforts to protect humanity from infectious diseases. However, as we use antimicrobials more and more, the microorganisms that cause infectious diseases adapt, and grow resistant to treatment. This naturally occurring process is called “antimicrobial resistance” (AMR) – but it is compounded by human and corporate behaviors.
AMR is making currently treatable infectious diseases harder and harder to cure. As a result, already, in Japan, it is estimated that as many as 8,000 people are dying every year of AMR-related causes, double the amount of people who die annually from traffic accidents. Looking toward the future, the impact of AMR in Japan is expected to rise further as the Japanese population continues to age, since older adults typically have increased need for antibiotics given that infections such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) grow increasingly common with age. This is a pandemic that we know is happening already, which is set to increase, without urgent action.
AMR is a major threat outside of Japan too. Health systems in high- and low-income countries alike depend on their being effective and accessible antibiotics to treat patients with. It has been estimated that AMR is responsible for as many as 700,000 deaths per year worldwide right now, and that by 2050, as many as 10 million people could potentially die of AMR-related causes globally every year.
A key challenge is limited research and development into new medicines and vaccines required to respond to rising AMR. Without the development of new and effective antibiotics and vaccines we will lose the race against rising drug-resistant infections. However, there are many problems in the antimicrobials market and practices within the pharmaceutical industry that are hindering development and may be facilitating the spread of resistance.
At the same time, most antibiotics globally are consumed by animals – often unnecessarily, to grow animals which can then be farmed for profit, rather than to treat animals when they are sick. This overuse in animals has spillover which affect human health, as well as putting pressure on supply chains which is not sustainable.
This isn’t just a matter of public health. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the serious impact that infectious disease problems can have on the global economy. If the world doesn’t work harder to tackle this issue, it is estimated that we will see US$100 trillion in global economic losses due to AMR by 2050. That would mean a potential decline in global GDP of as much as 3.8 percent. AMR is a complex issue that cannot be solved by individual actions. It requires society-wide solutions, and investors have a role to play in that as well. Many of the problems that hinder progress on AMR are market issues in the pharmaceutical and agriculture sectors that impact and are influenced by investment decisions. AMR is a material risk for investors if their supply chains and investments directly or indirectly exacerbate AMR. Careful consideration by investors that takes into account how their investments influence the AMR problem could do much to help protect society, the economy, and the long-term value of portfolios in the future. Consumer power is already driving fast food chains and retailers to reduce the use of antibiotics in their food supply chains. Now we need investors to follow these trends- and lead them.
AMR Alliance Japan and Investor Action on AMR held this roundtable, “Investing in the Future: The Role of Investors in Saving the World from AMR,” to increase understanding and share information on the threat of AMR among stakeholders from the fields of infectious disease, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and investing. Participants discussed how AMR is currently impacting investments, and consider what those in each field can do to tackle this important problem moving forward.
■ Overview
Date: September 8, 2021 (Wednesday)
Organizer: AMR Alliance Japan (Secretariat: Health and Global Policy Institute), Investor Action on AMR
■ Program
Welcome and Introduction
Matt McEnany (Senior Manager, Health and Global Policy Institute / AMR Alliance Japan)
Presentation: The Growing Threat of AMR
Kazuhiro Tateda (Former President, The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases / President, The Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology / Professor, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Toho University)
Presentation: Challenges of the Antimicrobials Market – Incentivizing Development and Stabilizing Supply
Takuko Sawada (Director of the Board, Executive Vice President, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.)
Presentation: Antimicrobial Use in the Agriculture Sector – Current and Future Topics
Tetsuo Asai (Professor, United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University)
Presentation: AMR as an Investment Challenge
Maria Lettini (Executive Director, FAIRR Initiative)
Presentation: EBRD’s approach to address AMR
Nobuko Ichikawa (Senior Environmental Advisor, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)
Roundtable Discussion
Panelists:
Kazuhiro Tateda (Former President, The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases / President, The Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology / Professor, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Toho University)
Takuko Sawada (Director of the Board, Executive Vice President, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.)
Tetsuo Asai (Professor, United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University)
Maria Lettini (Executive Director, FAIRR Initiative)
Nobuko Ichikawa (Senior Environmental Advisor, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)
Yuki Ikehata (Asset Management One Co.,Ltd)
Seiji Kawagoe (Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management)
Takashi Miyao (Nomura Asset Management)
Kiyoshi Kurokawa (Chairman, Health and Global Policy Institute)
Closing Remarks
Kiyoshi Kurokawa (Chairman, Health and Global Policy Institute)
日本語
Top Research & Recommendations Posts
- [Announcement] A Turning Point Towards Building Green Healthcare Systems (June 5, 2024)
- [Policy Recommendations] Developing a National Health and Climate Strategy for Japan (June 26, 2024)
- [Publication Report] Guidance on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Health Policymaking: Necessary Initiatives and Good Examples from the Public and Government (March 31, 2024)
- [Policy Recommendations] Obesity Control Promotion Project 2023 “The Next Steps for Engaging and Cooperating with Patients, Citizens, and Communities for Implements of Obesity Control Measurements” (April 8, 2024)
- [Research Report] Healthcare DX Project Research Report of Interviews ”Expectations for the Coming Era of Healthcare DX from People Living with Health Concerns” (June 10, 2024)
- [Policy Recommendations] Recommendation for the Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2024 (June 11, 2024)
- [Policy Recommendations] Kidney Disease Control Promotion Project 2023 “Establishing Kidney Disease Control Measures with Patient, Citizen, and Community Engagement and Collaboration” Policy Recommendations, a Collection of Good Practices of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Control Measures in Local Governments (February 14, 2024)
- [Research Report] Building a Mental Health Program for Children and Measuring its Effectiveness (June 16, 2022)
- [Public Comment Submission] Web based consultations on NCDs and mental health by World Health Organization (June 25, 2024)
- [Research Report] 2019 Survey on Healthcare in Japan
Featured Posts
-
2024-06-21
[Event Report] HGPI Special Seminar – HGPI Celebrates its 20th Anniversary: Reflecting on HGPI’s Journey from the Past to the Future (January 16, 2024)
-
2024-06-25
[Public Comment Submission] Web based consultations on NCDs and mental health by World Health Organization (June 25, 2024)
-
2024-06-26
[Event Report] Global Expert Meeting “Innovation in Cancer Care in Developing Countries ~City Cancer Challenge Initiatives“ (June 20, 2024)
-
2024-06-26
[Registration Open] (Webinar) The 127th HGPI Seminar: Current Issues and Future Prospects in Establishing a Health System and Protecting Public Health Through Policy (July 18, 2024)
-
2024-07-01
[Registration Open] Meaningful Involvement Promotion Project Online Expert Meeting “Shaping the Future of Health Policy with People with Lived Experience and Citizens” (July 26, 2024)