Experts at the University of Manchester have said that “urgent worldwide measures” are needed to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Drug resistant infections are expected to claim more lives over the next 25 years than cancer, the university’s policy engagement unit said.
The unit wrote the ‘Culture shift: Tackling antimicrobial resistance from agriculture to operating table’ article, and is comprised of Dr Michael Bottery, Prof Michael Brockhurst, Prof Lucie Byrne-Davis, Prof Michael Bromley and Dr Wendy Thompson.
The group caution that increasing levels of AMR mean many frontline medicines are losing effectiveness for treating many bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal infections such as malaria.
They set out several reasons explaining the origins of AMR including the use of antibiotics and antifungals in agriculture, a “disjointed” approach to regulation and licensing of antimicrobials and a 25% increase in antibiotic prescriptions by dentists during the pandemic.
“Covid-19 sharply demonstrated that diseases are not limited to a single nation and tackling antimicrobial resistance requires global cooperation,” the group said.
“As a start, international bodies like the UN, WHO and the EU should provide detailed guidance on the use of antimicrobials in agriculture.
“This should include risk assessments on the likelihood of cross-resistance evolving because of the dual use of the same types of antimicrobials across agriculture and the clinic.”
Antimicrobial resistance
The group called on regulators to ensure that an independent assessment has been made of the potential impact of a new antimicrobial before it is permitted for commercial use.
“In the UK, this will require cooperation between the Environment Agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA); establishment of a cross-agency working group would help to facilitate this,” they said.
The authors recommend that the UK’s future AMR strategy should be guided by research from the University of Manchester and others with the goal of “identifying new ways to help conserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials for future generations.”
“For their part, research bodies should aim to shape targets within, and support delivery of, the UK’s national AMR action plan and the WHO’s Global Action Plan on AMR, including through our global health research and education activities in low and middle income countries,” the group said.
“Antimicrobial resistance is an existential threat, and one that is intimately entwined with the risks posed by climate change and overconsumption.
“For AMR, as with the climate crisis and resource scarcity, the solution lies in a mix of new innovations, and smarter guarding of current assets.”
