Securing the future supply of effective antibiotics

Antimicrobials are a category of medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants. They include antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics.¹

Antibiotics are the cornerstone of modern medicine. Not only are they pivotal in the treatment of common infections, but they are also essential to supporting therapies for many routine healthcare procedures and treatments – including major surgery (such as hip replacement, transplants), caesarean sections and chemotherapy.²

Without urgent action, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could end modern medicine as we know it.

References:

1. World Health Organization (2021). ‘Antimicrobial Resistance’.
Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/
detail/antimicrobial-resistance. [Accessed: July 2023].

2. ReAct (2020). ‘Successful cancer treatment relies on effective
antibiotics’. Available at: https://www.reactgroup.org/wpcontent/
uploads/2020/05/Successful_cancer_treatment_
relies_on_effective_antibiotics_ReAct_Policy_Brief_May_2020_
web.pdf. [Accessed: July 2023].