Antibiotic resistance 'could become bigger threat to mankind than cancer'
George Osborne says the cost of doing nothing is 'too great'
Resistance to antibiotics will become "an even greater threat to mankind than cancer" without global action, Chancellor George Osborne will warn today.
The latest evidence suggests 10 million people a year could die globally by 2050, as a result of antibiotics becoming powerless against common infections - more than currently die from cancer, he will say.
The Chancellor will tell delegates at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Washington that there will be an "enormous economic cost" too: by 2050, antimicrobial resistance could reduce global GDP by up to 3.5% - a cumulative cost of 100 trillion US dollars (£70 trillion).
He will say: "Unless we take global action, antimicrobial resistance will become an even greater threat to mankind than cancer currently is.
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