Business giants sound alarm on AMR’s threat global economic stability

Greater efforts to kill off AMR and recognise it as a health and economic risk like Covid-19 and the 2008 financial crisis must be made by global leaders who will otherwise face dire consequences, the Investor Action on Antimicrobial Resistance Group has warned in a letter.

“Investors recognise AMR is not only a threat to the health of our people and planet, but to the financial wellbeing of those who rely on investment returns to fund their retirements,” said the group.

Pollution from the agricultural, pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors are some of the main drivers of AMR, the UN states. But also the misuse of antibiotics in livestock and in treating conditions in humans has contributed to the problem.

Fast-food giants including McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut have in the past faced investor pressure to cut antibiotics use to help prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”. 

Making moves against AMR

Up to $443bn of productivity could be lost each year to 2035, warned the 80 signatories, who include Legal & General Investment Management and HESTA.

The letter was posted to world leaders ahead of the UN General Assembly’s second high-level meeting on AMR this month. It warns the crisis has caused more deaths than HIV/AIDS and malaria in 2019. Some 700,000 globally die from AMR-related infections annually, which is expected to rise to 10m a year by 2050​.

Antibiotics use for farmed animals and in the aquaculture had decreased by 28% between 2018 and 2022 within the EU-27, The European Environment Agency reported in May. Member States continued to act on reaching the farm to fork target of reducing antimicrobial sales by 50% by 2030.