Source: AMR action fund newsletter
AMR Action Fund May Newsletter
UPDATES FROM THE AMR ACTION FUND
A Message from Dr. Henry Skinner
CEO, AMR Action Fund
I am honored to join the AMR Action Fund as its new Chief Executive Officer. Having worked on issues related to antimicrobial resistance from many angles throughout my career, I know how badly novel antibiotics are needed, and I also know how many obstacles currently prevent them from being developed and reaching patients. I am proud and excited to lead the AMR Action Fund in its efforts to tackle the global challenge of AMR.
There is an urgent need to develop next-generation antibiotics to protect global health. Drug resistant pathogens will always develop, and we will need a steady stream of new antibiotics to fight evolving superbugs. It is this reality that has driven my lifelong work in the AMR space, first leading licensing efforts globally for Pharmacia & Upjohn’s, and later Novartis’, discovery Infectious Disease therapeutic area, then as CEO of antibiotic-focused biotech SelectX Pharmaceuticals, followed by venture capital investing supporting antibiotic companies, as Chairman of the board of antibiotic-focused Macrolide Pharmaceuticals, and now as CEO of the AMR Action Fund that will strengthen and accelerate the antibiotic pipeline.
Thank you to everyone involved in developing this critical and ground-breaking initiative, and in particular to the interim CEO of the AMR Action Fund, Martin Bott, for getting us to this point. I look forward to working with all our partners and leading the AMR Action Fund as we uncover solutions for this global threat.
Best regards,
Henry Skinner
Chief Executive Officer
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The AMR Action Fund recently announced its first non-pharmaceutical industry investments of an additional US$140 million from the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, the European Investment Bank (supported by the European Commission), and the Wellcome Trust. Importantly, with this significant financial commitment from global foundations and development banks, the AMR Action Fund becomes the world’s largest public-private partnership supporting the development of new antibiotics. It also demonstrates the type of commitment and collaboration across sectors that is urgently needed to address the global threat of AMR.
In addition, the Fund also announced the appointment of its new CEO, Dr Henry Skinner. He joins the AMR Action Fund with extensive biomedical and investment funding experience, most recently as the Senior Vice President of Venture at Tekla Capital Management in Boston. Dr Skinner spent decades in the biomedical research, venture, and pharmaceutical industries. He brings immense knowledge to his new role as the AMR Action Fund’s first CEO and is perfectly situated at the intersection of finance and antibiotic development.
IN THE NEWS
Thanks to joint efforts across the Fund and its partners, we have continued to keep a spotlight on the global threat of AMR, the urgent need for novel antibiotics, and the crucial role of the AMR Action Fund.
For further news updates please visit the Resources section at www.amractionfund.com/resources/
SOCIAL MEDIA
The AMR Action Fund’s Twitter and LinkedIn accounts share relevant content and news around the Fund and AMR developments. We encourage you to follow the AMR Action Fund’s social media handles and share our content across your platforms.
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For further news updates please visit the Resources section at www.amractionfund.com/resources/
EVENTS
In December 2020 and February 2021, the AMR Action Fund participated in roundtable discussions in partnership with the Financial Times on progress and policy options to tackle antimicrobial resistance, as part of a special report series on the Future of Antibiotics. The meeting brought together senior representatives from governments, non-profit and international organizations, academia, medical centers, the investment community and the pharmaceutical sector.
In February 2021, Dr. Henry Skinner, AMR Action Fund CEO, participated in the AMR Fireside Chat with antibiotic developer, John Rex.
This February 2021, our partner IFPMA released a new paper on global incentives, available here.
On April 15, 2021, AMR Action Fund CEO, Dr. Henry Skinner, took part in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) press conference discussing its annual report that evaluates the potential of antibacterial candidates in different stages of development. This year’s report revealed that none of the 43 antibiotics that are currently in clinical development sufficiently address the problem of drug resistance in the world’s most dangerous bacteria. Henry was joined by Dr. Peter Beyer, Unit Head of the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Global coordination and Partnership (GCP), and Dr. Prabhavathi Fernandes, Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee at the Global Antibiotic R&D Partnership (GARDP) and member of the WHO Advisory group on the Research and Development of Antibacterial Treatments. In his remarks, Dr. Skinner encouraged investment in antibiotic development, saying, “What we want to do is allow the innovation to advance, and to finance the best innovation that is developing the most critically needed products. And to do that in a sustainable way over a long period of time. That’s the goal – to really bring the market back here so that the best antibiotics are getting financed and advanced, and the best drugs for the greatest needs are getting to patients. That needs to come together organically with input from all sides – the public sector as well as the private.”
For further information on events please visit the Resources section at www.amractionfund.com/resources/.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE AMR ACTION FUND
In December 2020, the AMR Action Fund closed its call for applicants for our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The SAB has the responsibility of providing rigorous, independent technical assessments of potential investments and thus plays a fundamental role in the Fund’s mission to bring 2-4 novel antibiotics to patients by 2030. The final nomination for appointments is expected to be made to the Fund’s Board of Directors in the first part of 2021.
Following the recent appointment of the Fund’s CEO, the AMR Action Fund will be focused on identifying potential investments aiming to make its first investments later this year.
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Thank you to all our partners for your continued support of the AMR Action Fund. If you’d like to speak to the AMR Action Fund as a part of any upcoming media interviews or events, please reach out to Silas Holland (silas.holland@amractionfund.com) for more information.
