The Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) is a global nonprofit partnership focused on supporting antibacterial research. Its mission is to strengthen the pipeline of therapeutics, diagnostics and preventatives to diagnose and treat life-threatening bacterial infections. CARB-X was launched in summer of 2016 at the

Boston University School of Law Boston University School of Law (Boston Law or BU Law) is the law school of Boston University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the United States and considered an eli ...

, where CARB-X Executive Director Professor

Kevin Outterson use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...

teaches health law, corporate law, and co-directs the Health Law Program. In its first five years, from 2016 to 2021, CARB-X awarded $361 million to 92 projects. In 2022, BARDA and Wellcome renewed committed renewed funding up to an additional $370 million to CARB-X. In addition to awarding non-dilutive funding, CARB-X partners with a Global Accelerator Network (GAN) of experts who offer product developers advice on a range of issues, including drug development, business strategy, policy and regulatory affairs.

Antimicrobial resistance background

Bacteria are constantly evolving to evade death. Even the most powerful "last resort" drugs are becoming less effective due to resistance. Without an arsenal of effective antibiotics to treat infections, modern medical procedures – such as chemotherapy and surgeries – are more risky and put patients' lives at risk. According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance is a top global health threat, killing 700,000 people annually throughout the world. CARB-X supports projects that are focused on the most dangerous bacteria identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) priority lists. On average, it costs more than $1 billion and takes 1–15 years to develop a new antibiotic for use in patients. A strong economic model to incentivize a steady supply of new antibiotics does not exist. Without enough revenue to recover research and development expenses, small antibiotic companies have been filing for bankruptcy, and large pharmaceutical companies are shuttering their antibiotics divisions. New economic models, support from organizations like CARB-X, and increased investment are needed to drive innovation.

Funding

CARB-X is led by Boston University, and in its first five years, from 2016-2021, it has been funded by three governments and two nonprofit organizations. These include the US Department of Health and Human Services

Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) office responsible for the procurement and development of medical countermeasures, principally against bioterrorism, in ...

(BARDA), part of the

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is an operating agency of the United States Public Health Service, U.S. Public Health Service within the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health ...

(ASPR); the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...

Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
th
UK Government's Global Antimicrobial Resistance Innovation Fund (UK GAMRIF)
and the

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), a merging of the William H. Gates Foundation and the Gates Learning Foundation, is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was l ...

. CARB-X also receives in-kind support from the

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, ) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID's ...

(NIAID), part of the US

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH).

References

External links

* Non-profit corporations Partnerships Boston University School of Law Antimicrobial resistance organizations Funding bodies {{nonprofit-org-stub