WHF Policy conference: Tackling antimicrobial resistance in the UK & the UK’s role on the global stage

Westminster Health Forum policy conference

Tackling antimicrobial resistance in the UK and the UK’s role on the global stage

Morning, Wednesday, 1^st December 2021

Book Online | Live Agenda

with

Dr Colin Brown, Interim Deputy Director, Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, Public Health England

Dr Haileyesus Getahun, Director, Global Coordination and Partnership and Tripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR, World Health Organisation

Professor Alison Holmes, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Imperial College London; Director, Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare Associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance, NIHR; and Director, Centre for Antimicrobial Optimisation

Dr Phil Packer, Innovation Lead, AMR and Vaccines, UKRI – Innovate UK

Dr Henry Skinner, Chief Executive Officer, AMR Action Fund

and

Dr Tom Ashfield, Pfizer; Dr Daniel Berman, NESTA; and Dr Ron Daniels, Sepsis Trust; Dr Sundeep Kaul, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust; Dr Stephen Oakeshott, UKRI – Medical Research Council; Professor Roberto La Ragione, Royal College of Pathologists; Dr Chrysi Sergaki, MHRA; and Dr Anita Sharma, South Chadderton Health Centre, Family Doctors Association and BRIT 2 Project

Chaired by:

Kevin Hollinrake MP, Co-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Antibiotics

Professor the Lord Trees, Emeritus Professor, University of Liverpool; and Treasurer, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Antibiotics

Key areas for discussion include:

• priorities for combatting antimicrobial resistance domestically
• the outlook for international collaboration
• driving innovation and research and using shared expertise to develop new antibiotics
• improving engagement with clinicians and patients to encourage the safe use of antibiotics
• optimising the use of antimicrobials, surveillance, and infection prevention

The conference takes place following:

• the UK Government presenting to the UN its priorities for tackling ‘the silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance’, including:
  • improving the way antibiotics are used
  • developing new antibiotics and supply chain safety – including via global standards
• G7 health ministers identifying AMR as a key area for strategic action at their G7 Summit meeting
• the UK’s five-year action plan for AMR, which outlines the priorities for achieving the UK’s 2040 vision for the containment and control of AMR

Includes a keynote contribution from Dr Haileyesus Getahun, Director, Global Coordination and Partnership and Tripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR, World Health Organisation.

The discussion is bringing together stakeholders with key policy officials who are due to attend from DAERA, NI; Defra; DIT; DHSC; the Food Standards Agency; Food Standards Scotland; MHRA; the Office for Life Sciences; The Scottish Government; and the Welsh Government – as well as parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons.

The agenda:

Draft subject to change

Key areas for discussion:

Priorities for international collaboration and resilience

• research:
  • exploring opportunities for taking forward research collaborations and partnerships from the pandemic and key lessons for driving global research on AMR
  • assessing the impact of the G7 setting AMR as a strategic priority area in health and the UK’s role in driving research into improving the use of antibiotics and developing new treatments
• funding – looking at:
  • the role of the Global AMR Innovation Fund in channelling investment, supporting early-stage innovative research, and delivering benefits to low and middle income countries
  • options for coordinating national and global AMR funds and investment, including the AMR Action Fund set up by the pharmaceutical industry
  • what is needed to link with research pathways to maximise progress in priority action areas
• surveillance – exploring opportunities for utilising the experiences of global health surveillance used during the pandemic to inform effective global surveillance for AMR
• supply chain resilience – learning from pressures experienced in the global antibiotic supply chain during the pandemic and how to build resilience and avoid future disruption
• global standards – priorities for coordinating and developing common standards across the local, national, and global levels, including around methods of surveillance and data use

Prevention and improving the use of antibiotics

• infection prevention and control – looking at what has been learned from efforts during the pandemic and how this can be applied to tackling AMR going forward
• promoting the appropriate use of antibiotics – priorities for:
  • the provision of workforce training and education and engaging with clinicians to inform appropriate prescribing
  • raising awareness among patients and the public
  • addressing the increased use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic
• testing and detection – utilising developments made during the pandemic to improve the diagnostic testing of infections and using innovative technology to support the detection of antibiotic resistance
• antimicrobial stewardship:
  • assessing the impact of NHS reforms and the development of integrated care systems in enabling improved antimicrobial stewardship across local health systems
  • priorities for pharmacist training and driving medicine optimisation
• animal and environmental health – looking at how best to reduce the use of antibiotics and develop best practice across these sectors as well as using new health technologies to support surveillance

Developing new antibiotics

• economic barriers – latest thinking on overcoming financial barriers to the development of new antibiotic treatments
• new DHSC payment model – assessing the opportunities presented by the new payment model to incentivise pharmaceutical companies to develop new antibiotics and considering the response so far
• funding – looking at the role of the pharmaceutical industry and the AMR Action Fund in accelerating efforts in the research and development of new antibiotics
• research – examining priorities for research into developing new antibiotics, applying lessons from the pandemic, and identifying key areas and infections for targeting research
• regulation – supporting the development of new antibiotics and improving patient access to new treatments

Next steps for the UK action plan

• COVID-19 – assessing the impact of the pandemic on the delivery of the action plan, as well as remaining challenges and opportunities
• progress so far – and considering the long-term priorities for delivering the 2040 vision
• a global perspective – priorities for ensuring the UK plays a leading role on the global stage in tackling AMR

Relevant context:

The Silent Pandemic of Antimicrobial Resistance – the UK Government’s outline to the UN on key priorities for tackling AMR, including improving the way in which antibiotics are used, developing new antibiotics, and ensuring supply chain safety

• G7 health ministers meeting – which identified AMR as a key area of strategic action and set out the 100 Days Mission, with ambitions such as:
  • collaborating with industry to develop diagnostics and vaccines within 100 days of any future pandemic
  • including AMR in discussions on public and private sector collaboration
• the UK Health Security Agency – set up to coordinate the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to support preparation levels for future pandemics and health challenges
• World-first scheme underway to tackle AMR and protect UK patients – the DHSC payment model for new antibiotics which is intended to incentivise pharmaceutical companies to develop new treatments as part of a subscription-style scheme
• the Global AMR Innovation Fund – set up to develop international research partnerships and support the funding of research into areas of AMR that lack investment and benefit middle and low income countries
• Tackling antimicrobial resistance 2019-2024: The UK’s five-year national action plan – which includes efforts around optimising use, infection prevention, and incentivising and investing in the development of new antibiotic treatments
• Contained and controlled: The UK’s 20-year vision for antimicrobial resistance – outlining how the UK plans to be combatting AMR by 2040
• Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund – the £20m fund intended to deliver improved opportunities for manufacturing, investment, and supply chain resilience across the UK
• the Health and Care Bill – aiming to support the integration of health and care across local systems and enable innovative developments made during the pandemic to continue
• Life Sciences Vision – setting out the priorities of the Government and life sciences sector for addressing healthcare challenges
• Cross-Government pathogen surveillance programme – the project utilises genomics to detect and track resistance across the food system
• Evaluation of NHS England’s Quality Premium Intervention on AMR – a study suggesting more radical intervention is necessary, finding that intervention to reduce antibiotic prescribing only had modest results in reducing resistant infections
• the G20 Ministerial Health Declaration – including agreement on global action to address AMR, such as improving surveillance capacity and supporting the development of new low-cost antimicrobials

For more information, and any enquiries, please contact