Podcast: Will A ‘Netflix’ Model Solve Antibiotic Reimbursement Challenges And Spur R&D?
Executive Summary
Infex CEO Peter Jackson discusses the state of antimicrobial resistance in the UK, and globally. He highlights the potential of a new “Netflix” style subscription model for antibiotic reimbursement, as well as future challenges for biotechs in the anti-infectives space.
The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) was commissioned in July 2014 by the UK Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron, who asked economist Jim O’Neill to analyze the global problem of rising drug resistance and propose concrete actions to tackle it internationally. (Also see "O'Neill: UK 'Lost Focus' On Antibiotic Crisis And Pharma Must Do More" - Scrip, 23 Nov, 2017.)
Years later, there is still a bleak picture of the state of AMR globally; the challenges faced by innovative drug developers in the antibiotic and anti-infectives space are plentiful.
Peter Jackson, CEO of Infex Therapeutics Holdings plc, discusses the ongoing issues around AMR and why progress has been slower than hoped. He highlights an important step forward in the UK of introducing a new subscription style model, often called the “Netflix model,” for antibiotic reimbursement and reward.
He also talks about Infex’s evolution into a clinical-stage biotech and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic that industry and governments can put to good use.
As well as being a biotech CEO, Jackson is also a member of the Project Advisory Group for the new antibiotic reimbursement trial being run by NHS England and NICE, an expert advisor to the Milken Institute in Washington DC, and he sits on the board of the BEAM Alliance, a network of European biotechnology companies focused on AMR, working with policy makers and member state institutions to bring similar reimbursement reforms into place across the EU.
He led the BioIndustry Association’s AMR work group and authored the landscape report, New Drugs for Anti-Microbial Resistance: The AMR Opportunity for the UK, which was submitted as contribution to the development of the UK’s current five-year AMR plan and 20-year AMR vision. Jackson also co-authored an application to the UK government for the £19m funding under the Strength in Places initiative to create the Infection Innovation Consortium (iiCON).