Ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), 13 leading pharmaceutical companies today presented a new roadmap that lays out four key commitments they will deliver by 2020 to reduce AMR. The commitments follow the principles identified and agreed upon in the Industry Declaration made at the 2016 World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year, and reflect the companies’ intent to continue to proactively contribute to the global efforts to address AMR. This unprecedented collaboration between the pharmaceutical companies marks a major milestone in the fight against AMR.

Leading pharmaceutical companies like  Allergan, AstraZeneca, Cipla, DSM Sinochem Pharmaceuticals, F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Shionogi & Co., Ltd. Wockhardt  presented roadmap.

In presenting this roadmap, the signatory companies firmly demonstrate their shared ambition to overcome the staggering threat AMR represents for our society, economies, and citizens. We are committed to working to reduce the development of antimicrobial resistance, improve access to high-quality antibiotics, vaccines, and diagnostics, invest in R&D, and collaborate with governments and stakeholders to sustain those investments.

Specifically, this group of diversified companies commit to reduce the environmental impact from the production of antibiotics, help ensure antibiotics are used only by patients who need them, improve access to current and future antibiotics, vaccines, and diagnostics, and explore new opportunities for open collaborations between industry and the public sector to address challenges in the research and development of new antibiotics, vaccines, and diagnostics, recognizing the value these bring to society.

The companies also reiterate our support for a comprehensive multi-sectoral approach to address the other factors contributing to AMR as defined by the World Health Organization Global Action Plan, the AMR Review, the US National Strategy and Action Plan, and the just released United Nations AMR High Level Meeting declaration.

Progress will not be achieved without concerted efforts from all stakeholders, and we call on governments to support the reduction of inappropriate antibiotic use in humans and animals, the improvement of surveillance and infection control measures, the ongoing research and development into novel antibiotics through financial and regulatory incentives, and finally, to deepen commitments to develop and adopt advanced diagnostics to address over-prescription in patients.

The companies support the establishment of a high-level coordinating mechanism to provide global leadership, mobilize resources, set goals, and measure progress towards them. We also welcome similar commitments from other stakeholders involved in combating AMR.

Dr Marc Sprenger, Director of the World Health Organization Antimicrobial Resistance Secretariat, said “I welcome these commitments from the pharmaceutical companies and commend their support of the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance. In particular, the measures to reduce the environmental impact of the production of antibiotics, advance stewardship and minimise over-the-counter and non-prescription internet sales of antibiotics will be of great benefit. I strongly encourage the collaboration between industry and governments, as it is only together that we can tackle antimicrobial resistance.”