The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Pfizer Ltd. will soon institute a ‘Centre to combat antimicrobial resistance’ (AMR) in New Delhi, which will help address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance in India.
The joint initiative will implement a series of comprehensive interventions, ranging from AMR Stewardship programs for Nursing Homes to scaling up of the ongoing AMR surveillance network and creating awareness around responsible use of antibiotics. Pfizer has provided an initial grant of Rs.6.97 crore for this initiative with a provision to scale up further as the program expands.
The government of India views AMR as a key priority and in April 2017 finalized India’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR). The NAP-AMR spells out six strategic priorities including improving awareness through communication, education and training, strengthening surveillance and promoting investments for AMR initiatives. The interventions undertaken as part of this partnership will align with these strategic priorities and support the NAP-AMR’s goal of effectively combating antimicrobial resistance in India. A dedicated centre is being set up to serve as a nodal point to launch interventions in the three areas of Stewardship, Surveillance and Awareness.
In the area of stewardship, the ICMR will expand Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme across the country in a phased manner with focus on smaller in-patient centres (smaller hospitals and nursing homes). For surveillance, this project will enhance ICMR’s existing AMR Surveillance Programme by training specialists to run an expanded India Surveillance Network that would cover both private and government hospitals to collate, analyse and publish drug resistance data across all geographies in India. For awareness, the project will focus on awareness and advocacy programme using media and non-media platforms to disseminate information on antibiotic resistance, promote rational use of antibiotics, encourage infection control techniques such as hand hygiene and organize conferences and awards to recognize best practices.
The governance structure envisioned for this initiative will include a Steering Committee and an Advisory Council comprising representatives from ICMR, Pfizer, leading infectious disease specialists, and experts in the domain areas of AMR. The initiative will also seek partnerships with various medical, pharmaceuticals, pharmacy and healthcare providers’ associations to advance the implementation of each of the interventions.
According to Dr K. Vijay Raghavan, secretary, Department of Health Research & Director General, ICMR, “The Government of India recognises the need for urgent action and hence is developing a national response mechanism to adeptly deal with the growing challenge of anti-microbial resistance. It is important to channel all necessary resources in developing, implementing and monitoring antibiotic resistance to minimise its adverse impact, which is posing a huge threat to both health and food security. Infections such as pneumonia, TB etc. are becoming difficult to treat due to decreased effectiveness arising out of irrational usage of antibiotics. We must do all we can, to prevent a scenario where common infections and minor injuries become difficult or impossible to treat. Adopting a partnership approach with Pfizer, ICMR is engaging with relevant stakeholders to draw in diverse perspectives and support. We are happy to announce this association through which we could bring about a change positively in the way antibiotics are prescribed and used. Behaviour change will need to be a key component of this strategy.”
Speaking on the initiative, S. Sridhar, managing director of Pfizer Ltd. said, “The Pharmaceuticals Industry must respond in full force to support the Government’s ambitious plan to combat antimicrobial resistance. Since its pioneering contribution of mass producing penicillin in the 1940s, Pfizer has remained a leading anti-infectives company across the world. We therefore recognize that we play an important role in a collective effort to address AMR – one of the greatest public health challenges of our time. We deeply value this partnership with the ICMR and hope to make a tangible contribution to this national endeavor.”