Forecasting the Fallout from AMR

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global health and economic stability, affecting human, animal and plant health, and rendering lifesaving drugs ineffective. This multifaceted issue requires the consistent implementation of interventions using a One Health approach. Previous studies have estimated AMR’s economic implications to trigger a gross domestic product (GDP) loss of between US$ 1 trillion and 3.4 trillion annually, by 2050. Despite the potential economic impacts on food-producing animals and the spillover threats to human health and other sectors, research on the economic impacts of AMR in animal health remains limited, with only sparse relevant data. Furthermore, quantifying the exact impact of antimicrobial use (AMU) in food-producing animals on AMR in humans remains a challenge due to lack of-high-quality data. The overarching objective of this study is to generate evidence on the economic burden of AMR in food-producing animals, to inform response and decision-making, and to support more effective evidence-based implementation of National Action Plans (NAPs). More specifically, this study aims to: identify the major economic impact pathways by which AMR is thought to impact productivity in food-animal production; estimate the global economic effects of AMR and the potential economic value of interventions to reduce AMU in food-animal production up to 2050; estimate the potential economic return on investment (ROI) of interventions to address AMU and AMR in livestock; and to identify the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the farming sector in a setting of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) against the backdrop of the implementation of their NAPs for AMR.