World Antimicrobial Awareness Week: Seven days of One Health
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The theme of this year’s World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, which starts on Friday, November 18, is “preventing antimicrobial resistance together”, which recognizes that drug resistance cannot be addressed by one sector or industry alone. Limiting antibiotic resistance is a One Health challenge that cuts across the health of people, animals and the environment.
In recent years, the animal health sector has played its part by making enormous strides towards more responsible use of antibiotics, particularly in established markets in the US and Europe, as outlined in our latest progress report on reducing the need for antibiotics. These efforts have resulted in the UK reporting its lowest-ever year for antibiotic sales while global trends indicate sales of preventative products, such as vaccines and parasiticides, have increased.
And to ensure the health of animals continues to be protected while improving antibiotic stewardship, the industry has pushed the frontiers of innovation with a pipeline of new treatments and technologies designed to lower disease risk. By keeping more animals healthy and free of illness, we can reduce the need for antibiotics and protect their efficacy for generations to come.
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Managing antibiotic resistance starts with preventing disease
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While antibiotics remain the only effective treatment for bacterial infections, the best chance of preventing drug resistance is to prevent diseases that need antibiotics in the first place. Prevention – in both animals and people – is better, safer and more sustainable than cure.
This is why HealthforAnimals launched its “Roadmap to Reducing the Need for Antibiotics” in 2019 with 25 clear and comprehensive targets for improving the health of animals and, therefore, the responsible use of antibiotics by 2025. Among these commitments was a pledge to invest $10 billion into research and development.
To date, the industry is on track or ahead of schedule on all its goals, according to the first progress report, with the next update due next year. Here are three of the biggest gains in the battle against antibiotic resistance:
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1) New vaccines: As of 2021, the animal health industry delivered 49 new vaccines out of the 100 promised by 2025. These new vaccines offer greater protection against bacterial diseases such as salmonella and bovine respiratory disease. With more preventative tools like vaccines, fewer animals need antibiotics, preserving them for urgent treatment of people and animals.
2) Diagnostic tools: In two years, a total of 17 new diagnostic tools were developed to help veterinarians identify and anticipate health issues in animals earlier and with greater accuracy. Developments in diagnostic technology mean the field is emerging not only as the key to early and effective treatment but also as a tool of prevention, averting the risk of infection before it warrants antibiotics.
3) Veterinary training: More than 650,000 veterinary professionals received training and support, with more than $6.5 million in scholarships to veterinary students between 2019 and 2021. As the frontline of animal healthcare, veterinarians need the tools and training to deliver best practice in responsible antimicrobial use.
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By comparison, the sector brought three new antibiotics to market in the same period. The impact of the industry’s commitments to reducing the need for antibiotics can be seen in the corresponding global sales trends. The share of the global sector’s product portfolio made up by antibiotics has declined 28 per cent while vaccines account for a larger share.
Such progress is encouraging but antibiotic resistance cannot be solved alone, and gaps remain in our collective understanding of how resistance develops and transfers, making global collaboration more important than ever. |
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“It is in the interests of both humans and animals that together we tackle antibiotic resistance.”
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HealthforAnimals Executive Director, Carel du Marchie Sarvaas in The Independent
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Since 2016, the average consumption of antibiotics has been higher in humans in Europe than in food-producing animals.
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Three ways to tackle antimicrobial resistance
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HealthforAnimals, 168 Avenue de Tervueren, 1150 Brussels, Belgium, Box 8, 5th floor
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