Study to the role of poor-quality medicines in fostering antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

The USP Quality Institute announces the third fellow to be named in its Fellowship in Quality Medical Products program. The new fellow, based at Boston University, will study the role of poor-quality medicines in fostering antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As part of her research, Carly Ching, PhD, will investigate the role of substandard fluoroquinolone antibiotics, a widely used treatment for bacterial infections, in contributing to AMR. Using E. coli, which serves as a model for other bacterial pathogens, the research entails lab-based tests to model how resistance emerges among these bacteria when exposed to substandard treatment, or medicines that either lack the correct dose of the active ingredient or contain impurities that may harm patients. The research will also include a field survey to measure medicine quality in a particular region where substandard fluoroquinolone usage is prevalent.

Article: USP Quality Institute