GSK pledges £45m to support global AMR prevention

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GSK is set to become the first founding partner of the Fleming Initiative. According to GSK, The Fleming Initiative’s will gather “world-class scientific, technology, policy and behavioural science expertise with clinical experience in a global network of centres to find, test, and scale solutions to [antimicrobial resistance] (AMR)”.

The company highlighted that it currently has the largest antimicrobial resistance-relevant R&D pipeline in the pharmaceutical industry.

The Initiative is led by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London, who will work to tackle (AMR) globally through the projects delivered.

GSK explained that the Fleming Initiative will focus on supporting countries severely affected by AMR, where for instance, challenges such as poverty and climate change worsen issues brought about by drug resistant infections.

The funding would be accessible for approved projects including those that employ new technology such as AI to improve interpretation and use complex scientific data, as well as in identifying new opportunities to develop novel treatments and interventions, the company stated.

Tackling AMR – a collaborative effort

“This will be an important collaboration for GSK… The Fleming Initiative will bring together global resources and expertise from across different sectors to better understand the factors contributing to this growing threat and most importantly, drive action and solutions. We are proud to be a founding partner, and hope others will join us to support this urgent priority,” GSK’s CEO Emma Walmsley commented.

“Alexander Fleming’s extraordinary discovery was brought to the world through partnership with industry. As we approach the centenary of his breakthrough, we are delighted that GSK will be a founding partner for the Fleming Initiative,” Lord Darzi, Chair of the Fleming Initiative remarked.

“AMR is one of the biggest threats to our society and it is excellent that private organisations are supporting global efforts to tackle it. I applaud GSK for providing significant funding, bringing together world-renowned science, research and technology to protect the international community,” UK Health Minister Andrew Stephenson stated.

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