European doctors discuss how to tackle AMR in medical practice and EU legislation
A high-level conference of doctors, national policymakers, representatives of the European Commission and health stakeholders today discusses how to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in an event organised by the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) and the Swedish Medical Association (SMA).
The event takes place the day following the proposals for the revision of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation and Council Recommendation on AMR. In addition, the topic is high on the agenda of the Swedish presidency of the Council of the European Union.
“AMR is one of the greatest threats to human health. Existing antibiotics are losing their effectiveness and not enough novel antibiotics are in development. The risk is growing that doctors are not able to treat patients.”
“Doctors have a key role in keeping antibiotics working through prudent prescription and responsible use. We must also work according to the One Health approach, bringing together the human health, veterinary and environmental sectors.”
“We welcome the ambition expressed by the EU on antibiotics in recent years, but we call for more action. The widespread shortages of antibiotics across Europe that occurred this winter must not happen again. We urge decisive measures to be taken to prevent shortages and to ensure a stable supply of antibiotics in the future.
“The revised pharmaceutical legislation and the Council recommendation offer an opportunity to enact past political commitments of the EU and all Member States. The proposals foresee many good provisions to tackle the threat of AMR, such as prudent use and infection prevention and control measures to environmental impact. However, we need more discussion around the right way to incentivise innovation. Health and healthcare must come first.”
AMR causes 1.2 million deaths each year, more than 35 000 of which are in Europe. Last week, a report released by WHO/Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) revealed high percentages of resistance to last-line antibiotics in a number of European countries. Meanwhile, the WHO has warned that there are too few new antibiotics in the drug development pipeline to tackle critical pathogens.
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