Merck – Antibiotics have revolutionized Health-care delivery and saved innumerable lives. However, rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) levels may render current treatments ineffective. There is no simple answer to the complicated problem of AMR, but we are dedicated to investing our expertise and resources with our partners to ensure that antibiotics reach those in most need. Lives are at stake, and now is the moment to act.
We hope to bridge the gap between the breakthrough early antibiotic pipeline and patients through this ground-breaking collaboration of over 20 prominent pharmaceutical companies, philanthropies, and NGOs. We are pleased of our pledge to invest $100 million in the AMR Action Fund over a 10-year period, in keeping with our tradition of preventing and treating infectious diseases.
New antibiotics are urgently needed; however, there are relatively few in development.
The future of antibiotic innovation is jeopardized. Major scientific, regulatory, and commercial barriers impede antibiotic innovation, resulting in a decrease in the number of companies performing antimicrobial research and development. Recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all answer, our organization and others have proposed a series of policy improvements in various parts of the world. But time is running short. Policymakers must work together to ensure that antimicrobial innovation thrives for decades to come.
Merck
Tracking resistance trends and using data to help doctors prescribe the right medicines remains critical.
Once new antibiotics are approved, they need to be used responsibly.
Merck is investing heavily on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), a broad term for the implementation of evidence-based policies to limit resistance to current antimicrobials. Our investments and collaborations assist hospitals worldwide in developing and implementing patient-centered AMS programs that are customized locally based on criteria such as epidemiology, clinical environment, and resource availability to support responsible antimicrobial prescribing and usage. We also contribute substantial grant funding to a variety of AMS programs and collaborations.
Among our global contributions to AMS are:
Assisting in the establishment of many AMS Centers of Excellence around the world.
Assisting public health leaders in efficiently monitoring and responding to new AMR infections, promoting AMS, and adapting recognized AMS practices to meet local needs.
Providing considerable grant money for a number of AMS research programs established by investigators.
AMR extends beyond human health.
The AMR dilemma is diverse, and a One Health approach to policy development is crucial to achieving optimal health for people, animals, and the environment.
In the case of animal health, immunizations can assist reduce the need for antibiotics. Merck Animal Health is one of the world’s major producers of animal health vaccinations, producing about 102 billion doses every year.
Another important aspect of the One Health approach is environmental protection through responsible manufacturing. We collaborate with our AMR industrial Alliance partners to develop science-based manufacturing standards that assist assure the inspection of industrial manufacturing supply chains.
The time to act against AMR is now.
AMR is preventable with collaboration from the scientific community and policymakers.
As we prepare for the next health catastrophe, we all have a role to play. We must act now to put measures in place to ensure that we have enough antibiotics.
“AMR is not a problem of the future; it is here and now, threatening human, animal, and environmental health as we know it.” “We must act quickly and collaboratively to help reduce the risk of AMR before it’s too late,” said Jennifer Zachary, executive vice president and general counsel of Merck and a member of the AMR Global Leaders Group.
The post Merck Is Collaborating To Address Antimicrobial Resistance first appeared on CSR Today.
