White House, WHO Commit To Global Action Plan On Antimicrobial Resistance

By Cyndi Root

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a press release to invite contributions to its global action plan on antimicrobial resistance. The U.S. White House and other G7 nations joined the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR GAP) in June 2014. WHO intends to present the draft global action plan to the Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly in 2015, as per the assembly’s request in 2014. WHO states, “It therefore now invites organizations, institutions, networks, civil-society groups, national authorities, and ministries to contribute to the development of the action plan by taking part in an online consultation.”

U.S. Government Effort

The U.S. Government, headed by President Barack Obama, has provided an increased focus on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in its Global Health Security Agenda. The effort is due to the fighting nature of bacteria, parasites, viruses, and other microorganisms. These pathogens resist current drugs, partially because drugs are often over-prescribed. Additionally, new drugs are not available yet to combat this threat.  

Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance  

The Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR GAP) addresses the impact and costs of the crisis. Margaret Chan, WHO Director General, said in the National Law Review that current drugs are “worthless”, hospital infections are rising, and doctors increasingly come up empty-handed. The industry has not developed a pipeline of diagnostics and treatments for superbugs and the opportunity for terrorists to exploit this weakness is real with the potential for disaster.

Antimicrobial Resistance Policy

A report in the journal Nature provides some insight, naming drugs that are no longer effective such as chloramphenicol for typhoid and conditions that are highly resistant such as tuberculosis (TB), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and Escherichia coli. Authors state that conditions could get much worse and affect routine medical care and surgery. In the report titled, “Policy: An intergovernmental panel on antimicrobial resistance,” authors Mark Woolhouse and Jeremy Farrar present their solutions to the problem.

They say that the global community must coordinate efforts and address the root causes of resistance including misuse and lack of alternative drugs in the current pipeline. They urge governments and industry to develop incentive programs for drug development and for physician and patient education to “help them to change their ways.” In conclusion, they call for an organization like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to change global policy.