[e-drug] Antibiotic Resistance Coalition / Civil Society Declaration on Antibiotic Resistance

e-drug
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E-DRUG: Antibiotic Resistance Coalition / Civil Society Declaration on Antibiotic Resistance
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A new, international Antibiotic Resistance Coalition (ARC) has been established, comprising civil society stakeholders from six continents working in the health, agriculture, consumer and development sectors. ARC is advocating for policy change and taking action to prevent the post-antibiotic era from becoming a bleak reality.
At the 67th World Health Assembly in Geneva last week, ARC issued a comprehensive civil society declaration on antibiotic resistance (available at: www.reactgroup.org/arcdeclaration<http://www.reactgroup.org/arcdeclaration&gt;\),
calling, in part, for international leadership and action to:

  * Prohibit the promotion and advertising of antibiotics;
  * Promote new, needs-driven and open research and development models based on the principle of de-linkage (divorcing price from research and development costs and sales volumes);
  * Phase out the use of antimicrobials for routine disease prevention in livestock, and end their use, altogether, for growth promotion;
  * Build robust systems, in all countries, to monitor and report antibiotic use and resistance trends in humans and animals; and
  * Improve public awareness to support an ecological understanding of human-bacteria interaction and behaviour change around antibiotic use.

ARC was pleased that, as a first step, WHA67 passed the resolution, ‘Antimicrobial Resistance, Including Antibiotic Resistance’ (available at: http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB134/B134_R13-en.pdf),
which now mandates the World Health Organization to develop a global action plan on antimicrobial resistance. ARC had urged Member States, to pass the resolution in a press release
(www.reactgroup.org/arc-press-release.html<http://www.reactgroup.org/arc-press-release.html&gt;\)
earlier in the week, and in an intervention
(https://apps.who.int/ngostatements/content/165-stichting-health-action-international)
prior to the vote.
ARC urges organisations and individuals that are concerned about antibiotic resistance, particularly those in civil society, academia, research and patient organisations, to sign on to its declaration on antibiotic resistance. To do so, please email: signon@arcdeclaration.org.

ARC resulted from a series of discussions and meetings organised by the following steering group members: Anthony So (ReAct / Duke University's Program on Global Health and Technology Access), Niclas Hällström (What Next Forum), Martin Khor (South Centre), Tim Reed (Health Action International), Peter Maybarduk (Public Citizen), Eva Ombaka (ReAct / Health Action International) and David Wallinga (Healthy Food Action). Initial funding for the formation of the Coalition was provided by ReAct and the South Centre.

Bobbi Klettke <bobbi@haiglobal.org>

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E-DRUG: Antibiotic Resistance Coalition / Civil Society Declaration on Antibiotic Resistance (2)
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Dear E-druggers,

As I have repeatedly said earlier, I approve and support this action wholeheartedly,
but the issue is quite complex
First of all is better education of students and physicians in the proper use of antibiotics,
e.g., promoting rational use of drugs (the WHO in initiative seems to be dead);
2d: Restricting the availability of antibiotics in pharmacies and
hospitals, and instituting drug committees and formularies in all
hospitals, and
3d: making an end to the unrestricted (mis-) use of
antibiotics in veterinary medicine - This is not medicine in the proper sense!
And reviving the system of essential drugs (Where is WHO?) and -
even drafting a list of non-essential antibiotics, formulating the
reasons for banning certain drugs from certain situations.
4th: Introducing the nth new antibiotic - as industry wants - is removing the
target further away from its goal. Where are the microbiologists in the
steering group? They are not all bought by industry. Do not forget the
surgeons, because misuse of prophylactic antibiotics is a major problem,
and not a replacement for proper hygiene.

Good luck - I have personal experience from a serious hospital infection
and it nearly cost my life.

Best wishes from an old clinical pharmacologist,

Leo Offerhaus, the Netherlands.
Leo Offerhaus <offerhausl@euronet.nl>

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E-DRUG: Antibiotic Resistance Coalition / Civil Society Declaration on Antibiotic Resistance (3)
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Hello,

Antibiotic resistance is indeed a major public health problem and is quite complex indeed. I support this bigtime and in fact this should have been done several years ago, maybe when antibiotics were put to use. Great initiative.

We must immediately clamp down on irrational and indiscriminate use and abuse of antibiotics across all sectors. Lets go back to the basics particularly for developing countries where prescription only medicines are prescription only medicines..

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking we were at when we created them" A Einstein.

Dr Jarred Nyakiba
BPharm (UoN) RPh MPharm (UoN) MPH (MU-ongoing)
Clinical Pharmacist/Public health (HSM)
Nigeria
jnyakiba@yahoo.com