Medicines for Europe is engaged to tackle antimicrobial resistance by:
As a signatory of the Davos Declaration we welcome the continued high level political focus on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The high-level meeting convened on 21 September 2016 by the President of the UN General Assembly gathered key stakeholders in this unique public health, economic and scientific challenging situation. Medicines for Europe welcomes the UN’s Political Declaration and the global high-level political support to curb antimicrobial resistance.
We recognize the magnitude of the problem and are engaged with our members and stakeholders to support efforts to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance whilst ensuring patient access to life-saving antibiotics. An across-the-board multi-sectoral approach is crucial in addressing this global threat. In this context, we underline the importance of conserving the full range of existing antibiotics to ensure that all current medicine options remain on the table for healthcare practitioners to deal with this challenge.
Medicines for Europe strongly believes that improved access to existing antibiotics is essential and must be balanced with health system measures to ensure appropriate use. The most appropriate procurement mechanisms to facilitate affordable access to high-quality antibiotics must be explored in a joint collaboration. Furthermore, the pharmaceutical industry is committed to delivering medicines at the highest possible standards. The industry is engaged in addressing the environmental impact that our products and manufacturing have. We are notably developing the Eco-Pharmaco-Stewardship project, a proactive industry-wide EU initiative to provide safe, efficient and high quality medicines to meet patient needs while minimising the effect on the environment.
Adrian van den Hoven, Medicines for Europe Director General, highlighted that ”We have to make sure that existing and useful antibiotics remain in stock and can be used when doctors need them. Having access to a wide diversity of antibiotics helps slow down resistance. Yet more and more essential antibiotics are being removed from the market because current procurement systems in Europe are unsustainable. We need a serious discussion about maintaining Europe’s industrial capacity to sustainably supply our health needs. This is a shared responsibility of industry and health authorities. Our industry remains committed to the fight against AMR.”