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Meeting our Commitments to Help Reduce the Need for Antibiotics
Animal health companies have invested billions in R&D and delivered 49 new vaccines in the past two years as part of an industry-wide strategy to help reduce the need for antibiotics. Developing 100 new vaccines by 2025 was one of 25 commitments made by the world’s largest animal health companies in the Roadmap to Reducing the Need for Antibiotics, which was published in 2019 by HealthforAnimals.
According to the new Roadmap Progress Report, the sector is on track or ahead of schedule across all its commitments. This included investing $10 billion in research and development, delivering training for over 100,000 veterinarians in responsible antibiotic use and providing millions in veterinary scholarships.
In today’s newsletter, we explore some of the ways the global animal health sector is helping address AMR, improve responsible use and reduce the need for antibiotics.
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| BIG READ: MEETING OUR COMMITMENTS. |
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Antibiotics have been the cornerstone of modern medicine and remain the only way to treat bacterial disease. But when bacteria develop tolerance or resistance to antibiotics, we risk returning to a time when animals – and people – fell seriously ill or even died from simple, treatable infections.
However, reducing antibiotics use without first tackling disease would mean sick animals may go untreated. We must focus on prevention and better protection against disease, and three of the commitments in our Roadmap to Reducing the Need for Antibiotics Progress Report strike at the heart of that goal:
- New vaccines: In the past two years, HealthforAnimals Members have delivered 49 new vaccines – halfway to our commitment of 100.
Vaccines remain one of the most effective ways to prevent disease as they help strengthen an animal’s natural resilience against infection. New vaccines are essential in reducing the need for antibiotics but overcoming infrastructure challenges is also important to ensure access. For example, a vaccine that is heat-tolerant does not require refrigeration and can be used in remote regions.
- New diagnostic tools: With 17 out of 20 new diagnostics tools already delivered, this commitment is well on its way to completion.
Being able to swiftly detect and treat bacterial infections can stop disease from spreading and helps avoid the need for antibiotic treatment across a herd. Furthermore, routine diagnostics are a powerful tool for surveillance and prevention. Cutting edge diagnostics are even leveraging artificial intelligence to provide more predictable, rapid analysis.
- Veterinary training: HealthforAnimals Members have trained 37,000 veterinarians in the past two years and helped train another 650,000+ through ‘train the trainer’ programs.
These experts will play a key role in combatting AMR through responsible use of antibiotics. Training is being delivered in many ways, from digital sales aids and web-hosted platforms that explain best practice to workshops and summits that bring together experts from across the globe.
HealthforAnimals members have made significant progress in improving responsible use of antibiotics in recent years. But to achieve the vision laid out in the Roadmap, continued commitment and cooperation is needed to increase research and development, implement One Health approaches, increase knowledge and communication, and provide veterinary training and access to help address antibiotic resistance.
We encourage others in the public sector, international organisations, human and environmental health, or any other institution that can affect positive change to join us in making commitments to addressing AMR and responsible use.
Find out more detail on our progress to date in our Roadmap to Reducing the Need for Antibiotics Progress Report. |
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| WHO SAID IT |
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| “The new tools and training provided by the animal health sector will support veterinarians and producers to reduce the need for antimicrobials in animals, which better safeguards people and the environment.”
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| How far have we come in meeting the commitments laid out in the Roadmap to Reducing the Need for Antibiotics? Our infographic highlights some key achievements so far. |
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