The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Pfizer Ltd will set up a centre to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in New Delhi. The project will help address the growing AMR threat in India, Pfizer said on the agreement signed between the two organisations. The joint initiative will implement a series of interventions, ranging from AMR stewardship programmes for nursing homes, to scaling up the ongoing AMR surveillance network and creating awareness around responsible use of antibiotics.
Pfizer has provided an initial grant of Rs 6.97 crore for this initiative, with a provision to scale up further as the programme expands. Dr K. VijayRaghavan, Secretary, Department of Health Research & Director General, ICMR said the Government recognised the need for “urgent action” and was developing a national response mechanism to deal with the growing challenge of anti-microbial resistance. “It is important to channel all necessary resources in developing, implementing and monitoring antibiotic resistance to minimise its adverse impact, which poses a huge threat to both health and food security,” he added.
Infections such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc, are becoming difficult to treat due to decreased effectiveness arising out of the irrational usage of antibiotics. “We must do all we can to prevent a scenario where common infections and minor injuries become difficult or impossible to treat,” he said.
S. Sridhar, Pfizer Managing Director, said the pharmaceuticals industry needed to respond to the Government's ambitious plan to combat antimicrobial resistance. “Since its pioneering contribution of mass producing penicillin in the 1940s, Pfizer has remained a leading anti-infectives company across the world. We, therefore, recognise that we play an important role in a collective effort to address AMR – one of the greatest public health challenges of our time,” he said.
A key priority area for the Government, it had finalised India’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) last April. The NAP-AMR spells out six strategic priorities, including improving awareness through communication, education and training, strengthening surveillance and promoting investment for AMR initiatives.
The joint initiative's dedicated centre will be a nodal point to launch interventions in the three areas of Stewardship, Surveillance and Awareness, the note said. It would expand ICMR’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme across the country in a phased manner, with focus on smaller in-patient centres (smaller hospitals and nursing homes), enhance ICMR’s existing AMR Surveillance Programme by training specialists to run an expanded India Surveillance Network that would cover both private and government hospitals to collate, analyse and publish drug resistance data across all geographies in India, and embark on an awareness and advocacy programme to share information on antibiotic resistance, promote rational use of antibiotics, encourage infection control techniques and organise conferences and awards to recognise best practices.
The governance structure envisioned for this initiative will include a Steering Committee and an Advisory Council comprising representatives from ICMR, Pfizer, leading infectious disease specialists, and experts in the domain areas of AMR. The initiative will also seek partnerships with various medical, pharmaceutical, pharmacy and healthcare providers’ associations to advance the implementation of each of the interventions, the note said.