Challenges to Accessing Newer Antibiotics for Multidrug-resistant Bacterial Infections in Asia: A Literature Review of Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives.

Aligui AF., Hor SW., Blanco-Arévalo A., Gupta A., Saravanan R., Leong J., Olney J., Shou Y., Chee JY., Yap R., Singh SR., Mo Y.

BackgroundAsia faces significant barriers to accessing newer antibiotics despite a high burden of antimicrobial resistance.MethodsWe conducted a literature review to identify key gaps and challenges in access to newer antibiotics in Asian countries. Peer-reviewed and gray literature from January 2010 to October 2024 were searched for articles discussing access to Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antibiotics post-2010 with an Asian perspective. A total of 134 articles were reviewed.ResultsKey challenges spanned 7 main stakeholders: pharmaceutical industries, drug regulatory agencies, health technology assessment agencies, funders/nongovernmental organizations, healthcare practitioners, patient advocates, and ministries of health/policymakers. These challenges included limited and fragmented epidemiological data, insufficient health economic assessments, manufacturing constraints, complex regulatory frameworks, inefficient distribution systems, poor affordability in low-resource settings, and weak governance structures.ConclusionsThese findings underscore the urgent need for a deeper understanding of stakeholder- and context-specific perspectives to address critical gaps and improve antibiotic access in the region.

DOI

10.1093/cid/ciag024

Type

Journal article

Publication Date

2026-06-01T00:00:00+00:00

Volume

82

Pages

S154 - S161

Addresses

Clinical and Translational Research Institute, The Medical City, Ortigas Avenue, Pasig City, Philippines.

Keywords

Humans, Bacterial Infections, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial, Health Services Accessibility, Asia

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