Resistance to antibiotics will become an 'even greater threat to mankind than cancer'

Antimicrobial resistance a 'greater threat than cancer by 2050', warns Osborne
Antimicrobial resistance a 'greater threat than cancer by 2050', warns Osborne

Antimicrobial resistance to antibiotics will present a greater danger to humankind than cancer by the middle of the century unless world leaders agree international action to tackle the threat, according to George Osborne.

Speaking to delegates at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, he will also warn that failing to act will have "enormous economic" impact.

"Unless we take global action, antimicrobial resistance will become an even greater threat to mankind than cancer currently is.

"It is not just a health problem but an economic one, too. The cost of doing nothing, both in terms of lives lost and money wasted, is too great, and the world needs to come together to agree a common approach.

"We have to dramatically shift incentives for pharmaceutical companies and others to create a long-term solution to this problem, with new rewards, funded globally, that support the development of new antibiotics and ensure access to antibiotics in the developing world.

"To achieve a long-term solution we also need better rapid diagnostics that will cut the vast amounts of unnecessary antibiotic use."

But Kerry McCarthy, the shadow environment secretary, accused the government of adopting a complacent approach to the looming crisis.

In a speech to the Antibiotics and Farming Conference in London, McCarthy accused ministers of adopting a “negative role” in EU negotiations over calls by the European parliament to end the routine use of preventative antibiotics in farming.

McCarthy said the government has rightly set targets for human use of antibiotics but has wrongly failed to set any targets for veterinary use of antibiotics when farm animals account for 40% of antibiotic use in the UK.

Mr Osborne is expected to back a proposal from Lord O'Neill and others to create "market entry rewards" which will pay a large prize to a pharmaceutical company, or set of companies, that get a new antibiotic or diagnostic to market.

Lord O'Neill will publish the final recommendations from his review in May.