European Council recommends incentives for innovation and access to antimicrobials along with alternatives
Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of bacteria and other microbes to resist the drugs used to inhibit or kill them. Photo: iStock The Council of the European Union (EU) adopted a set of recommendations on June 13, 2023 to strengthen action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It recommended prudent use of antimicrobials such as antibiotics in human and animal health for reducing the risk of microorganisms becoming resistant to medical intervention.
These recommendations were part of a proposal submitted by the European Commission to the European Council on April 26, 2023. The commission submitted the proposal for a recommendation on stepping up EU actions to combat AMR in a One Health approach.
The approach was adopted because the health of humans, animals and the environment is intrinsically linked. AMR can only be overcome through joint efforts across all three areas.
The proposal was part of a package of measures aimed at reforming the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation.
It is estimated that more than 35,000 people die each year in the EU / European Economic Area as a direct consequence of an infection due to bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of bacteria and other microbes to resist the drugs used to inhibit or kill them. Resistant microbes can pass between animals, plants and food and in the environment.
This phenomenon has many health and economic implications, with an estimated 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR in 2019.
The proposal included a series of actions to:
Several targets for EU member states, developed with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, were set for 2030.
The targets called for closing existing surveillance and monitoring gaps and ensuring the completeness of data, including real-time information. It also includes timely access to data on both AMR and AMC at all levels, like the community, hospitals and long-term care facilities.
Reducing the total consumption of antibiotics in humans by 20 per cent in the Union compared with the baseline year of 2019 is also another target. This would be applicable for the community and hospital sectors combined, including in long-term care facilities and in home-care settings.
The member states must also ensure that at least 65 per cent of the total consumption of antibiotics in humans belongs to the access group of antibiotics as defined in the AWaRe classification of the World Health Organization.
By 2030, total incidents of bloodstream infections per 100,000 population by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus needs to be reduced by 15 per cent compared to 2019.
Infections by third generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli must be decreased by 10 per cent through 2030 and carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae should go down by 5 per cent.
The members must also put in place appropriate measures to contribute to the farm-to-fork strategy and zero pollution action plan target of a 50 per cent reduction of the overall EU sales of antimicrobials used for farmed animals and aquaculture, the targets further said.
The farm-to-fork strategy by the EU is aimed at redesigning our food systems to reduce the environmental and climate impact of primary production whilst ensuring fair economic returns for farmers.
Also read: Antibiotic use in animals, humans can trigger AMR in each other: study establishes links
The zero pollution vision for 2050 by the Union is for air, water and soil pollution to be reduced to levels no longer considered harmful to health and natural ecosystem.
Within infection prevention and control, the AMR recommendations are along the lines of fully developing and implementing national immunisation programmes and taking measures to effectively prevent vaccine-preventable diseases.
The recommendations for increasing awareness about AMR focus on promoting knowledge and behavioural change by providing professionals working in the human health, veterinary and agronomy sectors with regularly updated information about AMR at national and local levels.
Within recommendations to support research and development and incentivise innovation and access to antimicrobials, the document mentions incentivising the development and placing on the market of effective and evidence-based alternatives to the use of antimicrobials and vaccines for animal health.
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