The NHS has announced expansion plans for its ground-breaking pilot to combat antimicrobial resistance as it moves to secure the provision of life-saving antibiotics to patients for years to come.

The news comes almost a year after the health service initially pioneered the subscription-style model to drug contracts when it agreed deals for cefiderocol and ceftazidime-avibactam. Under this type of agreement, pharmaceutical companies are paid a fixed annual fee which, in this case, could double from £10m to £20 if the treatments offer particularly good value for money to the…