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David Willetts, the science minister, is to propose measures to clamp down on the overuse of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture at a meeting of the G8 science ministers in London.
Professor Laura JV Piddock, Professor of Microbiology and Deputy Director of the Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, UK, said
“Antibiotic resistance knows no demographic or geographical boundaries and affects everyone, so raising awareness of the crisis of antibiotic resistance and lack of new antibiotics is extremely important. Dame Sally Davies, the UK Chief Medical Officer has done much since March 2013 to increase awareness of this issue, and it is now that we need to view antibiotic resistance and lack of new antibiotics as serious a crisis as the AIDs pandemic was viewed in the 1980s and 1990s. Therefore, the presentation at the G8 meeting today is extremely important, as this is an opportunity to urge nations to work together. The introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s led to a formidable revolution in health care, saving millions of lives around the world and if so facilitating modern day care of cancer patients, transplants and commonplace orthopaedic surgery such as knee and hip replacements.
“Today, antibiotic resistance is common and so it is imperative that governments take responsibility to protect the few antibiotics effective against resistant bacteria and encourage appropriate use of antibiotics. As antibiotics are used widely discouraging use other than to treat infection is essential. This includes use where there is no bacterial infection and purchase of antibiotics by the general public, which is widespread in some countries. However, preserving antibiotics is only one part of the solution to antibiotic resistance and as many multidrug resistant infections are by Gram negative bacteria, for which there are few useful drugs, unless governments act now to stimulate the development of new treatments for such infections we will soon have an unprecedented global health crisis.
“The problems are complex and the solutions are myriad so to do this at a global level requires partnerships between governments and various departments from health, to business, to overseas aid. Whilst incentives to encourage the pharmaceutical industry to invest in this area are important, without new entities entering the pipeline there will be nothing for Pharma to develop. In January, the World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2013 indicated the magnitude of that global burden and placed antibiotic resistance on the global risks register. This information was based upon a handful of studies and is considered by all to represent an underestimate of the true burden. Across the globe, there needs to be action by all governments to increase funding for research into antibiotic resistance so that we can fully understand how it occurs, how it is spread and the magnitude of the true cost to Society. This information is essential if antibacterial discovery, research and development is to find and produce new treatments. Academia and SMEs have much to offer in increasing understanding of antibiotic resistance and discovering new molecules and ways to combat bacterial infection. A dedicated funding mechanism for research will not only further the scientific base for understanding the biology of antibiotic resistance and facilitate drug development, but will also stimulate economic development.
“In the UK this issue is now been taken extremely seriously and today there will be the inaugural meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Antibiotics, Chaired by the Shadow Health Minister, Jamie Reed, MP. This APPG will provide cross-party parliamentarians a forum in which they can hear evidence, contribute to debate and identify solutions that the UK can offer to the Grand Challenge of antibiotic resistance.”
Professor Mark Fielder, General Secretary of the Society for Applied Microbiology said
“We are delighted that the UK Science Minister has taken this opportunity to highlight the threat of antibiotic resistance.
“We are also pleased that the proposed approach includes steps to preserve the effectiveness of the antibiotics we currently possess. Better prescribing policies and improved hygiene would help us to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics and to keep them for when there is a defined need for human or animal health.
“However, there is no panacea for the range of problems associated with antibiotic resistance and applied microbiologists are looking into alternative ways to treat infectious diseases as well as a variety of sources for new antibiotics.”