Superbugs could kill millions more and cost $2tn a year by 2050, study shows

MRSA bacteria under an electron microscope. The US, UK and EU economies are on course to be among those hardest hit by antimicrobial resistance. File picture: Dr Kari Lounatmaa

Superbugs could cause millions more people to die worldwide and cost the global economy just under $2tn a year by 2050, modelling shows.

A British government-funded study shows that without concerted action, increased rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could lead to global annual GDP losses of $1.7tn over the next quarter of a century.