EU making ‘little progress’ against antimicrobial resistance

Policies to curb antimicrobial resistance have had little effect on health, auditors find

Despite some improvements, the European Commission’s approach to reducing antimicrobial resistance has had little effect on either the problem or human health, according to the European Court of Auditors.

The EU spends more on researching antimicrobial resistance than all its member states combined, devoting 99 per cent of its budget for combating the problem to research. Despite this, “research efforts have so far not led to new antimicrobials in many years”, the auditors reported on 15 November.