抗藥性之戰

並肩作戰

百靈佳殷格翰基金會支持AMR行動基金，齊心對抗多重抗藥性微生物

根據世界衛生組織（WHO）所提供的數據顯示，全球每年有超過70萬人因抗藥性微生物感染致死。專家擔心，到了2050年，每年將造成全球約1000萬人喪生。因此，世界衛生組織將「微生物抗藥性（Antimicrobial Resistance；簡稱AMR）」視為全球健康的最大威脅。為了對抗這來勢洶洶的威脅，百靈佳殷格翰基金會與AMR行動基金合作，誓言共同對抗AMR所帶來的危害。

AMR行動基金是一項國際性倡議計畫，目標是在2030年之前，為患者提供2至4種新型抗生素，全力抵抗AMR對世界造成的嚴重威脅。AMR行動基金獲得工業企業、歐洲投資銀行（The European Investment Bank，EIB），以及世界第二大醫學研究基金會-惠康基金會（Wellcome Trust）等知名慈善機構的認同。

百靈佳殷格翰基金會所採取的行動方案之一，即是提供AMR行動基金5000萬美元。AMR行動基金會於2020年7月啟動，其資金將投資於致力於研究和開發有前景的新型抗生素的生物技術公司。無獨有偶，藉由百靈佳殷格翰基金會的拋轉引玉，歐洲投資銀行和惠康基金會也分別捐款2400萬美元和6700萬美元給AMR行動基金。

 

全球公共衛生大聯盟

百靈佳殷格翰基金會主席Christoph Boehringer表示：「面對迫在眉睫的抗藥性微生物感染所引發的健康危機，我們需要更多創新的解決方案；即便我們已有可靠、妥善規劃的醫療方案與措施，抗藥性微生物感染依舊十分致命。支持AMR行動基金會所呼籲的倡議活動，完全符合百靈佳殷格翰基金會的成立宗旨與目標。我們正與AMR基金會並肩作戰，一起面對最嚴峻、最重大的全球健康威脅。由衛生機構、政府、工業企業以及慈善機構組成的全球公共衛生大聯盟，正是這場戰役的重要靠山。我們相信，AMR行動基金將能拯救更多被超級細菌感染的患者，讓他們獲得更妥善的治療，把科學研究的成果推廣到世界的各個角落。」

 

加速新型抗生素的臨床試驗

AMR行動基金會已經成功募集超過10億美元，將投資於開發創新抗生素的生物科技公司。這些投資目的在於藥物開發與臨床應用之間的關鍵步驟提供資金需求。畢竟，在正式使用新藥進行治療之前，必須經過複雜並且所費不貲的臨床試驗，才能確保新藥的有效性與安全性。AMR行動基金將如火如荼的展開行動，並在2021年第一季媒合具有發展性的研究型生物科技公司，專注於推動抗生素的研究。

 

¹百靈佳殷格翰基金會

百靈佳殷格翰基金會是一個獨立的非營利組織，致力於推廣醫學、生物學、化學以及製藥科學。基金會是由百靈佳殷格翰的家族成員Hubertus Liebrecht（1931–1991）於1977年成立。基金會藉由3+前瞻計畫（Perspectives Programme Plus 3）以及執行補助金，全力支持獨立的年輕領導者們。百靈佳殷格翰基金會還獲得了國際Heinrich Wieland 獎，以及其他德國新銳科學獎項。基金會也贊助德國許多研究機構，如：分子病理學研究所（Institute of Molecular Biology，IMB）、梅茵茲大學生命科學系，以及位於海德堡的歐洲分子生物學實驗室（European Molecular Biology Laboratory，EMBL）。

 

 

Fighting against multi-resistant microbes

In 2020, more than 20 leading biopharmaceutical companies – Boehringer Ingelheim as one of them – announced the launch of the AMR Action Fund, a ground-breaking partnership that aims to bring two to four new antibiotics to patients by 2030. Now, also the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation (more information in the info box) supports the international initiative.

 

Side by side

Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation supports AMR Action Fund in the fight against multi-resistant microbes

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year more than 700,000 people die from infections with microbes that are resistant to all drugs available today. Experts fear that by 2050, this annual death toll could rise to ten million. Consequently, the WHO counts antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among the greatest threats to global health. To control this serious threat, the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the AMR Action Fund, an international initiative that aims to bring between 2 and 4 new antibiotics to patients by 2030. The AMR is supported by the WHO and combines global efforts to solve the growing threat to our health posed by antimicrobial resistance. The AMR Action Fund is endorsed by industrial enterprises, as well as development banks such as the European Investment Bank (EIB), and renowned charitable organizations such as the Wellcome Trust, the world's second-largest medical research foundation. The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation supports the AMR Action Fund with USD 50 million. The AMR Action Fund was launched in July 2020. Its funds will be invested in biotech companies that are working on the research and development of promising new antibiotics. Concurrently with the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, the European Investment Bank and the Wellcome Trust announce financial contributions to the AMR Action Fund to the tune of about USD 24 million and USD 67 million, respectively.

 

A broad coalition for public health

"We need innovative solutions to avert the looming health crisis posed by multi-resistant microbes. Without effective drugs against such pathogens, many infections can become deadly – even after medical procedures that today are reliable and routine. Supporting an initiative such as the AMR Action Fund fits well with our aims as a charitable foundation. We are helping to fight one of the largest threats to global health of our time," says Christoph Boehringer, chairman of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation. "This broad alliance of health organizations, governments, industrial enterprises, and charitable organizations lays important foundations. We are confident that the AMR Action Fund will enable the discoveries of scientific research to reach patients suffering from severe bacterial infections, and will help to ensure that they receive effective medical treatment."

 

Speeding up clinical trials of new antibiotics

The AMR Action Fund has already successfully solicited more than USD 1 billion, which the fund will invest in biotech companies whose scientists are developing new antibiotics. These investments are intended to finance the critical steps between the development of a drug and its clinical application. After all, before patients can be treated with a new drug, it must prove itself to be effective and safe in elaborate and costly clinical trials. The fund is expected to be operational shortly and its search for research-driven biotech companies with a promising antibiotic pipeline will start in the first quarter of 2021.

 

Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation

The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization that is committed to the promotion of the medical, biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences. It was established in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht (1931–1991), a member of the shareholder family of the Boehringer Ingelheim company. Through its Perspectives Programme Plus 3 and its Exploration Grants, the Foundation supports independent junior group leaders. It also endows the international Heinrich Wieland Prize, as well as awards for up-and-coming scientists in Germany. In addition, the Foundation funds institutional projects in Germany, such as the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), the department of life sciences at the University of Mainz, and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg.