Drug industry to fight superbugs together with governments

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Dozens of makers of medicines and diagnostic tests have joined together in an unprecedented effort to tackle "superbugs" — infections that increasingly don't respond to drugs and threaten millions of people in countries rich and poor.

Many common infections no longer respond to conventional drugs, mainly due to overuse of antibiotics, few new drugs to fight bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi, and declining industry research in the field.

Against that backdrop, drug and device makers and industry groups from 16 countries have signed the "Declaration on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance."

Other companies participating in the effort include companies making antimicrobial drugs and vaccines, such as GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Novartis AG and Pfizer Inc. They're joined by companies such as the Roche Group and Alere Inc. that make tests used to diagnose the specific type of infection a patient has.

—governments committing funding to implement the World Health Organization's Global Action Plan to create programs ensuring that health systems use antibiotics appropriately, along with increasing use of fast diagnostic tests and boosting reimbursements for them to ensure patients get the correct treatment.