Antibacterial drug resistance is a serious and growing worldwide problem that threatens our ability to cure traditionally treatable diseases and to successfully perform numerous surgical procedures that rely on antibacterials. The current situation is due primarily to two causes: inappropriate use in humans and animals and the decline in the development of new antibacterials, largely because of lower returns on investment in R&D.

In July 2011, OHE launched its publication, New Drugs to Tackle Antimicrobial Resistance, and also hosted a roundtable with a number of stakeholders. The objective of the roundtable was to create a consensus about the critical issues in constructing a framework that can encourage antibacterial R&D, identify potential obstacles to implementation, and consider how best to move forward. This publication recounts the discussions during both sessions.