Dr Christian Terreaux
Public Affairs Director, OM Pharma
Prof. Wojciech Feleszko
Paediatric Pulmonologist and Immunologist, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland
Vanessa Carter
AMR Patient, Founder and Executive Director of The AMR Narrative
Infection prevention is not a side strategy; it is the foundation of an effective AMR response. We need a holistic approach which goes beyond routine vaccination, hygiene and sanitation measures.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could affect anyone, at any stage of life. It also has a significant economic impact. AMR costs EU countries around €12 billion1 annually in healthcare and productivity losses. Globally, it could lead to US$1 trillion2 of additional healthcare costs a year by 2050. As the threat continues to grow, so will the pressure on overstretched health systems and increasingly strained budgets.
Developing a holistic approach to AMR
Policymakers globally are reacting to this urgency and advancing major policy efforts, such as the 2024 UN Political Declaration on AMR and the 2023 EU Council Recommendation on AMR. Yet, prevention still lacks the prominence it deserves, with most efforts focused on routine vaccination, hygiene and sanitation measures. A more holistic approach is needed, which goes beyond routine measures.
Professor Wojciech Feleszko, Paediatric Pulmonology and Immunology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, says: “The idea that the solution lies only in developing new antibiotics is wrong. We need a more holistic approach, including harnessing the strength of the immune system to prevent infections.”
Antibiotics remain overprescribed and often misused
Around 83% of adults with viral respiratory tract infections (RTIs) such as the flu still receive antibiotics3– even though these medicines have no effect on viruses. In some other frequent diseases, antibiotics are largely used. For example, they are prescribed for roughly 85% of urinary tract infections (UTIs), which are among the most common infections worldwide, and more than half of patients later need to change treatment because of resistance.4
Every prescription increases the risk of resistance. Preventing infections is therefore essential to reducing antibiotic overuse and misuse. Every avoided infection means fewer antibiotics used, lower costs to healthcare systems and less antimicrobial resistance so that antibiotics continue to work for those who really need them.
“The idea that the solution lies only in developing new antibiotics is wrong.
Behaviour change drives progress
Vanessa Carter, Founder and Executive Director of The AMR Narrative and former AMR patient, says: “Unless we create behaviour change and work with patients and healthcare professionals to make more informed decisions, we won’t make progress. Just because action plans are written, it doesn’t mean they’re being implemented.”
Preventing infections is also in the best interest of patients, whose health and daily lives can be significantly affected. RTIs are too common in many vulnerable groups, including children and those with underlying chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic bronchitis, whose conditions can be exacerbated when an infection occurs. Infection prevention needs to be prioritised. It is not a side strategy; it is the foundation of an effective AMR response.
An approach that goes beyond vaccines and hygiene
Current AMR strategies and commitments don’t give enough prominence to prevention; and where they do, the focus is narrow. Vaccination, hygiene and sanitation measures are essential, but they are only part of the solution. Other preventative measures exist, such as prophylactic vaccines, passive immunisation, decolonisation approaches and immunomodulators that strengthen the immune system. These can make a difference in reducing the number of infections and thereby reducing antibiotic prescriptions and helping to tackle AMR.
For example, preventative medicines such as bacterial lysates can prime the immune system to recognise and fight infections, enabling a quick, protective response against (re)infection. Yet, these and other preventative approaches are not widely considered. Expanding the approach to prevention as much as possible is key in the fight against time to tackle AMR.
Vaccination, hygiene and sanitation measures are essential, but they are only part of the solution.
No time to waste in the fight against AMR
The time to act is now. Prevention must become the driving force behind every strategy and action plan. By expanding the prevention toolbox and empowering both patients and professionals, we can save lives, reduce antibiotic use and safeguard medicines for future generations.
[1] OECD. (2023). Fighting antimicrobial resistance in EU and EEA countries: embracing a one health approach. OECD Publishing.
[2] World Bank Group. (2017). Drug-resistant infections: a threat to our economic future. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank.
[3] van Houten, Chantal B et al. Antibiotic misuse in respiratory tract infections in children and adults – a prospective, multicentre study (TAILORED Treatment). European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases: Official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology vol. 38,3 (2019): 505-514.
[4] Olson, Ronald P et al. Antibiotic resistance in urinary isolates of Escherichia coli from college women with urinary tract infections. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy vol. 53,3 (2009): 1285-6.
