Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a threat to everyone. However, some patients with chronic illnesses are significantly more likely to become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria than those without chronic disease. On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, FasterCures, in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts, hosted a webinar to address the impacts of AMR infections on some patients with chronic illnesses. Amanda Jezek senior vice president, Public Policy and Government Relations of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, moderated the session, and panelists included:
-
David Greenberg, MD, Antimicrobial Resistance Committee, Infectious Diseases Society of America
-
Thomas Heyman, president and CEO, Sepsis Alliance
-
Jonathan Daniels, senior manager, policy and advocacy, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
-
Kathy Talkington, director, health programs, The Pew Charitable Trusts
The patient groups that these panelists work with face many unique challenges with AMR. For example, according to Greenberg, infections play a primary or associated role in the cause of death in about 50 percent of cancer patients. While cancer, sepsis, and cystic fibrosis patients all have their own obstacles with AMR, they also share several challenges. Some shared challenges include:
-
AMR infections can delay life-saving treatments for other ailments: Because patients with chronic illness are more vulnerable to AMR infections, they are more likely to develop an antibiotic-resistant infection prior to starting treatment leading to delayed therapies until the pathogen is eliminated.
-
The need for better pathogen tracking and data collection: Currently, there is no central registry or database for AMR issues. Thomas Heyman detailed several ways a central registry would improve outcomes for patients with AMR infections, including improved diagnosis time, identifying those most at risk for a drug-resistant infection, determining disparities, ability to innovate and create new tools, and capability to prescribe more targeted, therefore more effective, antimicrobials.
-
The broken antibiotic marketplace: The Pew Charitable Trusts has been tracking the antibiotic pipeline for several years and has found historically only about 20 percent of antibiotics make it to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. However, even with FDA approval, many antibiotic developers fail because they cannot make the return needed to sustain a profitable business.
There is not a single solution to overcoming the many AMR challenges. It will likely take a combination of policies, antibiotic behavior change, and innovation to address this urgent matter. Panelists discussed several solutions that would significantly improve our AMR circumstances, including:
-
The PASTEUR Act: All panelists agreed that passing the PASTEUR Act is critical to fixing the broken antibiotic marketplace. This act will provide financial incentives to antibiotic developers who meet the specified high-demand and high-priority antibiotics criteria. To ensure the passing of this urgently necessary act, the panelists strongly encouraged reaching out to Congress and using a collective voice to demonstrate how imperative its passage is.
-
Antibiotic Stewardship: The panelists discussed antibiotic stewardship and its crucial role in ensuring the small arsenal of antibiotics we currently have continues to work for those who need them. Stewardship does not only apply to human use but also to agricultural use.
-
Increase Awareness: Most people do not understand how alarmingly close we are to having no antibiotics that can effectively treat infections. Education is critical for the population, providers, and policymakers to grasp how urgent these issues are.
There are a couple of ways to take immediate action. The Pew Charitable Trusts has asked organizations to sign a letter to Congress. This letter encourages Congress to hold a hearing to discuss potential economic solutions to address the current market challenges that affect antibiotic drug development and policies to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance, research, and infection prevention. Click here to learn more about this call to action.
In addition, the Sepsis Alliance, in partnership with Spectrum Science, developed the POWER the AMRevolution educational campaign to address the lack of awareness of the risk of antimicrobial resistance to everyone. The POWER campaign encourages everyone to take POWER back from superbugs through these steps:
-
Practice good hygiene and get vaccinated
-
Only take antibiotics as prescribed
-
Watch out for those most vulnerable
-
Educate others on the risks of AMR
-
Remain vigilant to avoid the risk of infection
To participate in the POWER campaign, download and share the educational materials developed by the Sepsis Alliance.