AMR Action Fund 2022

Stat News Op-Ed: Antibiotic Innovation is Ailing. 'Brain Drain' May Kill It.

Written by admin | Jun 3, 2024 8:04:00 PM

"In today's labor market, good help is hard to find. For companies developing antibiotics, it's becoming nearly impossible," writes AMR Action Fund CEO Henry Skinner, in an op-ed on the flight of talent from antibiotic R&D. "I have spent most of my career developing antibiotics and investing in biotechnology companies, so I was aware of the scientific and financial headwinds we'd be up against - including workforce challenges. The latter is worse than I expected, and I now worry the field is suffering irreparable harm from a prolonged period of 'brain drain' that could affect everything from how new antibiotics are discovered to regulators' ability to evaluate antibiotic candidates in the future."

"To fight an existential-scale threat like antibiotic resistance, the world needs all the brainpower it can muster."

Read the full op-ed here.