As revealed in the last Innovation Committee of the Institute for the Development and Integration of Health (IDIS Foundation) in which the company professionals Pfizer participated, together with the members of the entities that are part of the Board of Directors of the IDIS Foundation, antimicrobial drugs, commonly known as antibiotics, which act against bacteria, are some of the resources employed medical professionals.
However, in recent years a loss of efficacy has been observed due to the fact that microorganisms have changed or show resistance to the effects of antibiotics. In fact, if no action is taken, it is estimated that by 2050 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could become a more common cause of death than cancer, with 100 million deaths worldwide.
In a session in which Alberto López, head of institutional relations with Private at Pfizer; Mario Levada, Pfizer director of the United Hospital of Spain; and Francisco Mesa, Director of Internal Medicine and Hospitals of Pfizer Spain, explained that it is necessary to urgently address medical problems from a global approach, including human, animal and ecosystem interactions, it is necessary to explain in a world of perpetual connection.
In this sense, experts propose collaboration between doctors from different disciplines to implement infection prevention and control measures, awareness of the use of antibiotics or definitions of what are priorities at the research level. According to Mario Levada, “Pfizer is a company that has been researching infectious diseases for more than 170 years, with our first anti-infection in 1849.”
While for his part, Francis Mesa adds “we are proud to be recognized by independent institutions as a world leader in the fight against AMR from various perspectives: research, epidemiological surveillance, infection prevention, responsible manufacturing and contributions to debate policy”. around strong, sustainable and predictable R&D incentives. Today, Pfizer is one of the few large biomedical companies still active in anti-infective research and development (R&D), and we are proud to have developed one of the largest and most comprehensive anti-infective portfolios for patients and healthcare professionals. energy “At Pfizer we take AMR very seriously and therefore continue to experiment in this area, despite the many challenges that exist.”
They also recalled that Spain has a national plan to combat antibiotic resistance, which monitors and controls the consumption and resistance to antibiotics, prevention and treatment, research to better understand resistance, training of professionals or awareness of the general population, among others. But, the participants pointed out, although great efforts have been made in the research and development of new antimicrobials since 2010, it is critical to advance this line of research in order to have drugs effective in other mechanisms of action as soon as possible. to whom something of the Society is fully committed.
Ángel de Benito, secretary general of the IDIS Foundation, highlighted “the importance of raising awareness about the prevention of antimicrobial resistance at all levels (from management and professionals to the general population) taking into account the public health problems we are facing. In this sense, it is necessary to have companies that continue researching it with the aim of improving patient outcomes and guaranteeing cost-effective treatments (which reduce adverse effects with the use of antimicrobials)”.
Finally, at the end of the session, an interview was held with all the participants in which it was clear that the management of antimicrobial resistance is already a priority in the private health sector, which has been successful in implementing multiple initiatives in this regard; and Pfizer’s commitment and commitment to be able to accompany private entities in this common challenge.
