New initiatives and partnerships point the way forward for antimicrobial resistance response

Over the past year, the UK’s leading role in the chemotherapy or caesarean sections are now global fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been given several boosts. Government initiatives and new private-sector partnerships mean the country is solidifying its position at the forefront of the challenge to develop new, innovative treatments for patients suffering life-threatening infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
AMR occurs when microbial pathogens develop resistance to the effects of antibiotics. A small number of bacteria survive exposure to the drugs by evolving, often with multiple resistance mechanisms for different antibiotic types, meaning each subsequent infection becomes more difficult to treat, passing from patient to patient and spreading around the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported resistance rates to be growing at an alarming rate, even in countries with strong healthcare infrastructure and good antibiotic stewardship. A 2019 study found almost 50% of bacteria samples collected from public areas of London to be resistant to multiple antibiotic types.