Published: 07 October 2024
Research led by Professor Mike Sharland and his team at the Centre for Neonatal and Paediatric Infection has played a major role in the creation and agreement of new global antibiotic targets.
World leaders came together on 26 September 2024 at the 79th United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Here, they approved the political declaration to commit to a clear set of targets and actions, including reducing the estimated 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR every year by 10% by 2030.
Increasing target of 'Access' antibiotics use
Amongst this declaration lays an “ambitious yet achievable” target to increase the use of ‘Access’ antibiotics to at least 70% of the antibiotics used globally for improving human health.
Professor Sharland has been the Chair of the Antibiotic Working Group of the World Health Organization’s Expert Committee on the Select and Use of Essential Medicines, which developed the Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe) system for antibiotics.
Access antibiotics (e.g. penicillin and amoxicillin) are still active against a wide range of commonly encountered pathogens. They generally have fewer side effects with a lower selection for resistance, compared to broad spectrum ‘Watch’ antibiotics – which have a higher potential for selecting AMR – and are being prescribed too often globally for minor infections.
“Setting the global target of Access antibiotics to 70% is a key step in combating antimicrobial resistance. Working in close collaboration with the University of Oxford, the St George’s team have played an important part in these targets, by developing the AWaRe system as the agreed metric for future policy action to improve the use of antibiotics globally.”
- Professor Mike Sharland, Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at the Institute for Infection and Immunity -
An Independent Panel on AMR was also agreed at the meeting, which consists of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme. Together, the Quadripartite will consolidate data on AMR and provide guidance to policymakers worldwide for the implementation of the new targets.
Professor Sharland added: “The creation of this new panel is of critical importance in tackling the global health threat of AMR, providing independent scientific evaluation of future policy goals at a national and global level.”
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