Global Action Against AMR

In a recent discussion, Tina Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS, a professor of pediatrics and medical director at Northwestern University, emphasized the critical need for education and antimicrobial stewardship programs to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Her insights reflect the discussions at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AMR 2024, which focuses on urgent global action to combat AMR, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and features contributions from key stakeholders and leaders in the health sector.

Tan, serves as the medical director of the International Patient and Destination Services Program, the International Adoptee Clinic, and the president-elect of the Infectious Disease Society of America, shared her insights on innovative strategies to tackle AMR. She stated, “One of the major ones is education. You have to educate not only healthcare providers but also the public, including farmers and other individuals that use antibiotics, either in their crops or in their animals, to get them to understand that the unnecessary use of antibiotics is basically what fuels the growth of antimicrobial resistance.

Further highlighting the importance of antimicrobial stewardship, Tan noted, “There needs to be the institution and the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs everywhere in the world, on all different levels, and this is something that the US CDC, as well as the World Health Organization, really is trying to educate individuals on the importance of this so that antibiotics that are currently available are used in an optimal manner.”

When asked about the potential implications of the Pasteur Act, Dr. Tan explained its significance for reshaping research and development in the field, “the Pasteur Act is a bipartisan supported act that Congress needs to pass in order to change the way that we pay for novel antimicrobial agents. And the way that we're going to do it under Pasteur is to pay for the value of the agent instead of the volume of the agent that is used.”

The act proposes a subscription model allowing the government to contract with developers of novel antimicrobials for predictable payments in exchange for a consistent supply of these drugs for patients on Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and the VA. Additionally, it would establish a new grant program to support hospital stewardship programs, guiding appropriate antibiotic use and improving patient outcomes.

Tan also emphasized the necessity of global collaboration in addressing AMR, noting, “AMR is a global health crisis, and it doesn't matter whether you live in a high income country or a low to middle income country, it has the same type of impact upon the patients that we care for, because we cannot treat their antimicrobial resistant infection, these patients are at high risk for morbidity and mortality from that infection.”

She highlighted the urgency of international efforts to tackle AMR, stating, “we as a world need to come together to basically address the growing threat of AMR and yes, the way that this is addressed is going to be different in different areas of the world, but any type of progress that we can make in implementing antimicrobial stewardship programs, or, you know, implementing the development of new antimicrobial agents, and really teaching the public about, you know, how important it is to use antibiotics wisely, I think all of this would have a major impact on decreasing the amount of AMR that we're seeing and the number of deaths that are occurring every single day from any microbial resistant organisms.”

Reflecting on her experiences at the UN Meeting, Tan expressed hope inspired by the engagement of politicians and global leaders, “hearing the prime ministers and ambassadors from other countries. Countries who talk about the problem that AMR is, especially with regards to farmers using it on their crops or using it in their animals, and how they need to really decrease that really brought a lot of hope for the outcome of this particular event.” As the fight against AMR continues, insights from experts like Tan serve as a reminder of the collective action needed to safeguard global health.