The Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM), a nonprofit procurement services agent and supply chain solutions provider, has been appointed by an international organization to procure and deliver laboratory commodities for carrying out nationally representative surveys on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevalence, health, and economic burden in hospitalized patients with bloodstream bacterial infections in Africa.
PFSCM is responsible for the transactional procurement, transportation planning, and logistics management of fragile, time- and temperature-sensitive products like incubators, sample collection kits, and bacterial cultures that require special handling. These products are used in AMR surveillance, which involves collecting, analysis, and reporting antimicrobial susceptibility data.
In recent years, PFSCM has expanded its AMR product portfolio and honed its expertise by employing subject matter experts, joining the Antimicrobial Resistance Access and Stewardship Initiative and other groups, and securing new partnerships.
PFSCM Chief Operating Officer Erin Seidner says PFSCM is pleased to be included in a global effort to improve access to AMR surveillance products and stresses the importance of integrating supply chains as a part of antimicrobial stewardship programs.
Seidner explains that reliable, affordable, and sustainable procurement and delivery mechanisms are crucial in increasing laboratory testing and surveillance capacity through a sustained supply of affordable and quality-assured products.
“With the rising global threat of antimicrobial resistance to a wide range of infections, AMR diagnostics, surveillance, and treatment are critical to address the spread and creation of superbugs. There remains a significant gap in diagnostic access for AMR detection and surveillance, which is foundational to help stop the growth of superbugs.”
Seidner concludes by underlining the importance of combating AMR globally through its various impactful initiatives, such as the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System, which enables standardized data collection and sharing across countries.
“While the AMR challenge is immense, it can be controlled through an integrated approach that integrates supply chains, promotes responsible antimicrobial use, strengthens infection prevention, enhances surveillance, and invests in research and innovation for new treatments and diagnostics.”