New plan launched to tackle antimicrobial resistance

Today, a new plan has been launched to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global problem that makes infections difficult or impossible to treat.

The National Action Plan will commit Britain to reducing the use of antimicrobials – such as antibiotics, antifungals and antivirals – in people and animals, strengthening surveillance of drug-resistant infections before they emerge and encouraging industry to develop the next generation of treatments to develop.

It is committed to continuing to innovate through initiatives such as indicating that the world’s first ‘subscription model’ for antimicrobials, which was launched as a pilot in 2019, could be expanded. This will see more companies paying a fixed annual fee for antimicrobials, based primarily on their value to the NHS, as opposed to volumes used.

The plan will build on progress towards Britain’s 20-year vision on antimicrobial resistance, which will ensure AMR is contained, controlled and mitigated – protecting public health from the risk of disease spread, serious illness , disability and death.

Almost 8,000 people die in Britain every year from drug-resistant infections. If this continues to spread, common infections and injuries that were once easy to treat will become more difficult and in some cases impossible to treat.

Our five-year action plan outlines our commitment to lead the way in tackling AMR, including by expanding our world-leading subscription model to accelerate research into new treatments.

As the world recovers from the profound effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, international cooperation and preparedness for global health challenges have taken on unprecedented importance.

Maria Caulfield, Minister of Health

This is the second in a series of five-year national action plans that will ensure sustainable progress in tackling the global threat of AMR.

This new National Action Plan will learn from the achievements and challenges faced in implementing the previous plan, which was launched in 2019 and will run from 2024 to 2029. It contains lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and will include specific commitments aimed at infection prevention and control. control, and the development and use of diagnostics and vaccines.

Measures have already been taken in all sectors, including medical and agricultural, to reduce infections and prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

The new plan has nine strategic outcomes, organized under four themes:

Reducing the need for and unintentional exposure to antimicrobials – this includes activities to prevent the onset of infections in the first place (through good infection prevention and control, including vaccination), to prevent the emergence and spread of To monitor AMR through enhanced surveillance, and to prevent the release of antimicrobials and resistance into the environment.

• Optimizing the use of antimicrobials – by ensuring that antimicrobials are only used when needed in people, animals and the environment.
• Investing in innovation, supply and access – by supporting and encouraging the development of new vaccines, diagnostics and therapies (including alternatives to antimicrobials), making them accessible to those who need them, and ensuring that our work on the field of AMR is informed by groundbreaking research.
• Be a good global partner – maintaining Britain’s role as an international leader in AMR and supporting low and middle-income countries to respond to the threat of AMR through research, good supply chains and access to antibiotics.

AMR occurs when bacteria and other microorganisms develop resistance to antimicrobial drugs, such as antibiotics, causing them to become less or unresponsive to treatment. Avoiding unnecessary antibiotic use in humans and animals is crucial to slow the development and spread of antibiotic resistance.

In 2022, the government invested £210 million to work with countries in Asia and Africa to tackle AMR and reduce the threat to Britain, through the Fleming Fund.

It is estimated that in 2019, 1.27 million deaths worldwide were caused by infections resistant to antibiotics. The UK is committed to playing a central role in global efforts to tackle AMR, taking a comprehensive approach that leverages the country’s expertise and domestic experience.

The magnitude of the AMR threat, and the need to contain and control it, is widely recognized by governments, international agencies including the WHO and the World Bank, researchers and private companies alike.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said:

Antibiotics are one of the most powerful tools we have against infections. Resistance to these drugs therefore poses a significant threat to the lives of many people in Britain and around the world.

AMR is not just a matter for doctors; it is important to work together across sectors to help conserve these vital medicines and thus minimize the impact of AMR.

The UK Special Envoy for AMR, Dame Sally Davies, said:

It is incomprehensible for any of us to imagine a world without effective antibiotics.

But we are already facing an antibiotic emergency. And this threat is deeply unjust, with the burden falling disproportionately on the world’s most vulnerable, in low- and middle-income countries, as well as on children.

We must work together around the world with the countries that need action most, to make progress and contain AMR.

Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, said:

Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to us all; simple life-saving interventions in the form of antimicrobials are at risk of becoming ineffective.

Through our priority AMR programme, including single health surveillance, healthcare collaboration, international partnerships and new approaches to therapies and diagnostics, UKHSA has risen to meet this active threat – but it will require collective action from government , industry, academia and healthcare. the public to ensure that antimicrobials remain available to ourselves and our communities now and into the future.”

The Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said:

Antimicrobial resistance is the invisible threat we must tackle to protect the wellbeing of our society and the NHS.

I welcome the publication of this second National Action Plan, which delivers on our commitments in the Biological Safety Strategy to progress towards the vision of a world where AMR is effectively contained, controlled and mitigated by 2040.”

Britain’s chief veterinarian Christine Middlemiss said:

Britain has made fantastic progress in reducing AMR in animals over the past decade, working with government, the farming industry, vets and animal farmers to cut the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals by more than half.

The new National Action Plan will build on these achievements, and I urge vets and animal keepers to continue to support Britain’s 20-year vision to contain and control AMR.”

Richard Torbett, Chief Executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said:

Antimicrobial resistance is an urgent health challenge that requires urgent global action. Britain has been proactive in finding practical solutions to this problem, and this new National Action Plan sets a precedent that countries around the world should follow.

Expanding the pilot of the innovative antibiotic subscription model is a crucial next step with the full support of our industry. This kind of innovative thinking is needed to address the issues associated with AMR and protect public health from this shared threat.”

James Anderson, Executive Director, Global Health at the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) and Chairman of the AMR Industry Alliance said:

Addressing the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance will depend on having a continuous pipeline supplying new, innovative antibiotics.

To achieve this, society must take bold action to redefine the value we place on it and attract more R&D investment.

The successful results of the UK pilot program provide an important reference point for this year’s UN high-level meeting on AMR. As a truly global challenge, we need to see countries working together to deliver a step-change in the way the world tackles AMR.