AMR

Nobel Prize - As bacteria become resistant to existing antibiotics, we are running out of drugs to treat infectious diseases. This is a problem that Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, foresaw already in 1945. Today the hunt is on to find new antibiotics with the potential to save millions of lives.  At a glance Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health crisis, with predictions that 10 million people per year could die from drug-resistant infections by 2050. Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin revolutionised medicine. Fleming warned in 1945 that improper use of antibiotics could lead to antibiotic resistance. Scientists are searching for new antibiotics in various environments, such as deserts, oceans, and even within the human body, to combat AMR. ...

By: Shyam Bishen - World Economic Forum Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most pressing global public health and development threats of our time. When infection-causing microbes such as bacteria develop resistance to the medicines we use to treat them, it affects every community and every country across all regions and income levels. Its drivers and consequences are exacerbated by poverty and inequality, making low- and middle-income countries the most vulnerable. AMR jeopardizes many of the advancements of modern healthcare. It not only makes infections harder to treat, it increases the risks associated with many medical procedures, including surgery and cancer care. Severe infections are the second-leading cause of death in cancer patients, and effective ...

Immediately following the adoption of the commitments in the Saudi coastal city, the host country’s Minister of Health Fahad Al-Jalajel said the conference outcome provides “critical building blocks” for member states and international bodies to significantly act against antimicrobial resistance, and that it builds on the Political Declaration on AMR adopted at a High-Level UN General Assembly meeting a few weeks ago in New York. The commitments highlight the role of the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR, which is comprised of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). They also call for the creation of a new ‘biotech bridge’ a...

By Ben Hargreaves The COVID-19 pandemic showed what can be done when government and industry worldwide recognizes a grave threat to public health. Coordinated action allowed the biopharma sector to quickly develop and deploy vaccines. However, the same urgency is not being seen for an even larger risk to public health: the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The creation of antibiotics stands as one of the greatest medical breakthroughs in history, saving hundreds of millions of lives, and now halting the rise of AMR has emerged as a global health imperative. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that AMR is one of the top global public health and development threats, with nearly 5 million associated deaths per year. If left unchecked, this fig...

Experts, policymakers, and healthcare professionals from around the globe gathered in Basel, Switzerland, for a groundbreaking conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The event served as a crucial platform to address the growing threat of AMR, share innovative solutions, and strengthen global collaboration. From cutting-edge research to actionable policy recommendations, this conference underscored the urgency of uniting efforts to combat one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. 8th AMR Conference - Basel "6-7 March" 2024. Credits: GHealth News For more photos, please visit: https://amr-conference.com/impressions-2024/

GHealth News – Basel, Switzerland's cultural capital, will host the 8th AMR Conference on March 6–7, 2024. This pivotal event will bring together pharmaceutical companies, start-ups, and academics to exchange insights on innovative treatments and diagnostics in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. It also provides a platform for researchers to present their work and address the escalating global threats to public health. The conference is jointly organized by BEAM Alliance and bamconn GmbH. For more information and registration, please visit the link below: www.amr-conference.com

GHealth News - WHO has released a core package of 13 interventions to guide country prioritization when developing, implementing and monitoring national action plans on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The interventions address the needs and barriers people and patients face when accessing health services through a people-centred approach to AMR. Globally, AMR is one of the leading causes of death responsible for approximately 1.27 million deaths and associated with 4.95 million deaths in 2019.1 Failing to address AMR will have significant economic consequences with an estimated cost to the world’s economy of US$ 100 trillion by 2050.2 While over 170 countries have developed national action plans on AMR, implementation remains fragmented and siloed, and greater politi...

GHealth News - Researchers at the University of Oklahoma’s Center for Antibiotic Discovery and Resistance have identified molecules that inhibit bacterial efflux pumps, enhancing antibiotic efficacy. This breakthrough, involving a “molecular wedge” mechanism, offers a promising avenue for new treatments against antibiotic resistance. The World Health Organization has identified antimicrobial resistance as a worldwide concern because most clinical antibiotics are no longer effective against certain pathogenic bacteria. The Center for Antibiotic Discovery and Resistance at the University of Oklahoma, led by Helen Zgurskaya, Ph.D., and Valentin Rybenkov, Ph.D., is working on finding alternative therapeutic solutions. Antibiotics work by targeting specific parts of a bacteria cell, ...

GHealth News - WHO has published its first global research agenda for the world’s scientists to address the most urgent human health priorities to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It outlines 40 research topics on drug-resistant bacteria, fungi and Mycobacterium tuberculosis that must be answered by 2030, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. The WHO Global Research Agenda for AMR in human health will catalyze innovation and implementation research, spanning the epidemiology, burden and drivers of AMR, context-specific and cost-effective strategies to prevent infections and emergence of resistance. It will also involve the discovery of new diagnostic tests and improved treatment regimens, the identification of cost-effective methods to collect data and translate it in...