Pfizer: Antibiotics resistance, biggest threat to global health

On May 17, 2023

Pfizer has announced that Antimicrobial Resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health. The agency stated this during a virtual media roundtable organised to create awareness about Antimicrobial Stewardship.

Also, in a statement signed by Pfizer Medical Director, West Africa, Dr Kodjo Soroh, explained that “Antimicrobial Resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death,” he said.

It also added that if it continued to rise unchecked, minor infections could become life-threatening, serious infections could become impossible to treat, and many routine medical procedures could become too risky to perform.

Pfizer, thereby, called on the governments and the public health community to support measures that would enable continued innovation in the development of new antibiotics and vaccines to help curb the spread of AMR.

He added, “Without action by governments, industry, and society, AMR is expected to cause 10 million deaths each year by 2050. Overuse of antibiotics is creating stronger germs. Some bacteria are already “resistant” to common antibiotics. When bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, it is often harder and more expensive to treat the infection. Losing the ability to treat serious bacterial infections is a major threat to public health.”

It also revealed that currently, at least 700,000 people died each year due to drug-resistant diseases.

Prof. Oyinlola Oduyebo, said, “Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to global public health. This review highlights AMR’s scale and consequences, the importance, and implications of an antimicrobial stewardship programme to fight resistance and protect global health. AMS, an organisational or system-wide health-care strategy, is designed to promote, improve, monitor, and evaluate the rational use of antimicrobials to preserve their future effectiveness, along with the promotion and protection of public health,” he added.

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