
Diagnostics for Superbugs: A Lynchpin for Turning the Tables on this Global Scourge
- VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 38
- Executive Insights
Approximately 700,000 deaths annually are caused by antimicrobial-resistant microorganisms, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that current rates of antibiotic resistance will result in cumulative costs of roughly $3 trillion by 2050. With antibiotic resistance increasing at a startling rate, the need for rapid, precision diagnostics and decision support infrastructure is critical to changing the treatment paradigm and unlocking the economic potential of novel targeted antibiotics.
In this Executive Insights, we outline several challenges that have limited the use of diagnostic testing to drive early-line treatment decisions for serious bacterial infections, as well as our recommendations for the path forward including:
Global coordination of key stakeholder groups and focus on these activities will help turn the tables on antibiotic resistance over time, sharply improving patient and public health outcomes.