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The economic costs of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for every course of antibiotics are considerable, and much higher than their purchase cost, say researchers.

Photograph of the inside of a Chinese pharmacy

In a landmark study, a team of researchers led by the Mahidol Oxford Research Centre (MORU) and the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO) used data from the USA and Thailand to link the consumption of antibiotics with the direct and indirect costs of treating patients for five drug-resistant bacterial infections.

In a first, the experts looked at the consequences of antibiotic treatment failure –  higher death rates, lost earnings, more expensive diagnostics, costs to care providers and health systems – to calculate in USD the cost of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for five types of antibiotic drugs widely used in the USA, a high-income country (HIC),  and in Thailand, a lower-middle income country (LMIC).

Find out more (IDDO website)