Al Jazeera: Superbugs reach apex of global health worries
“…On September 21, superbugs get elevated to the top of the global agenda, with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, GlaxoSmithKline drug firm boss Sir Andrew Witty, and others meeting at the United Nations to keep antibiotics and other drugs working for future generations. … Envoys will raise the profile of the threat and launch a coordinating body to help countries act and report back on progress in 2018. Samantha Power, Washington’s U.N. envoy, said the meeting reflected a ‘newfound sense of urgency’ on superbugs. She outlined tough talks with drug firms to come. Telling Al Jazeera that a meeting alone, however, will not create a solution to the problem…” (Reinl, 9/20).

Financial Times: Big pharma targets drug-resistant superbugs
“Big pharmaceutical companies have signed an agreement to tackle the spread of superbugs as the U.N. prepares to discuss antimicrobial resistance. Drugmakers including Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca said the world faced a ‘staggering threat’ from drug-resistant superbugs and agreed to abide by a voluntary code of conduct designed to address the problem…” (Crow, 9/20).

The Guardian: U.N. agrees to fight ‘the biggest threat to modern medicine’: antibiotic resistance
“All 193 United Nations member states are set to sign a declaration agreeing to combat ‘the biggest threat to modern medicine’ in Wednesday’s high-level meeting on antibiotic resistance. The agreement was reached just before the General Assembly convened to discuss the threat of antibiotic resistance, which is only the fourth health issue to trigger a General Assembly meeting…” (Holpuch, 9/21).

Quartz: The Goldman Sachs economist who coined the term BRIC is helping tackle the antimicrobial resistance crisis
“…Many people have worked hard to bring attention to the threat, but Jim O’Neill may have have been one of the most influential. … In 2014, O’Neill took charge of leading the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. Over two years, it produced a series of comprehensive reports that have been instrumental in shaping the dialogue about what could become the next global health crisis. Quartz met O’Neill after the final report from the review was published earlier this year. Following is our conversation…” (Rathi, 9/20).