Drug Resistance: Antimicrobials

(asked on 18th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications of the widening diagnostic gap for tuberculosis and other infectious diseases on efforts to curb antimicrobial resistance.


Answered by
Wendy Morton Portrait
Wendy Morton
This question was answered on 24th November 2020

It is still too early to establish the impact of COVID-19 on the spread of antimicrobial resistance. The UK is supporting countries to respond to the pandemic, maintain essential health services, including diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases like TB, and to strengthen health systems to combat antimicrobial resistance. This includes our investments in WHO, Global Fund and Gavi as well as bilateral support to country health systems.

The FCDO funds research programmes to promote the development of new diagnostics, medicines and vaccines. For TB and multidrug-resistant-TB, this includes our support to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND). With our support, FIND have developed five new diagnostic tests for TB, now approved by WHO and being rolled out in over 27 countries. FCDO also funds UNITAID, which aims to triple access to rapid testing for MDR-TB, and to reduce MDR-TB drug prices.

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