As we mark World Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Week 2024, it’s time to reflect on the urgent need to address this growing global health crisis. The theme for this year—Educate. Advocate. Act Now.—challenges all sectors to take immediate action to raise awareness, advocate for solutions, and drive tangible changes to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistance. AMR is a complex issue that requires a multifaceted response, one that includes strengthening health systems, improving the use of antimicrobials, and ensuring that supply chains are robust, reliable, and sustainable.
At the Partnership for Supply Chain Management (PFSCM), we’re proud to play a vital role in this fight; working alongside global partners to provide sustainable supply chain solutions that ensure access to quality medicines, diagnostics, and treatments. With a focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, PFSCM helps ensure that health systems are equipped to prevent and manage resistance effectively.
Understanding AMR: a global threat to health
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve in ways that make them resistant to the drugs designed to treat infections.
This phenomenon is not just a medical issue – it’s a global health crisis that affects food security, animal health, and environmental sustainability. According to the WHO, AMR is already responsible for approximately 1.3 million deaths per year, and by 2050, it could cause an estimated 10 million deaths annually if left unaddressed.
The rising tide of resistance is particularly perilous in LMICs where health systems are often under-resourced and ill-equipped to handle the growing burden of resistant infections.
Inadequate access to quality-assured medicines, substandard or falsified drugs, and weak health infrastructure all contribute to the problem. These issues are compounded by factors like overuse and misuse of antibiotics.
The One Health approach: bridging the gap between human, animal, and environmental health
One of the most powerful frameworks for addressing AMR is the One Health approach, which recognizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. AMR doesn’t only affect human health; resistant pathogens can spread through animals (via food, water, and direct contact), the environment (through waste and pollution), and even agriculture (through the overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming).
The One Health approach promotes collaborative efforts across human health, animal health, and environmental sectors to prevent and control AMR. By focusing on these interconnections, we can build a more effective response to AMR that considers the full scope of its impact. This is especially important for LMICs, where integrated health systems are often fragmented, and the interactions between people, animals, and the environment are more direct.
At PFSCM, we take this integrated approach seriously. We support sustainable supply chains that ensure quality diagnostics and antimicrobials are available while also working to minimize the environmental impact of medical waste and ensuring that products are stored, transported, and disposed of in environmentally responsible ways.
The role of supply chains in AMR response
As the WHO and other international organizations have emphasized, quality assurance is a critical component of AMR prevention. Efficient supply chain management improves quality assurance and prevents AMR resistance in several ways:
- Consistent quality – preventing substandard or counterfeit drugs in the supply chain can increase the effectiveness of treatments and prevent resistance.
- Good forecasting and stock management – good inventory practices prevent overstocking andstockouts, which can result in inappropriate use of certain medications or expired products entering the market.
- Optimal storage conditions– proper storage conditions ensure that antimicrobials that are not exposed to heat or humidity that may degrade the product efficacy, leading to suboptimal doses that can increase resistance.
- Efficient distribution systems – well-functioning and aligned distribution networks ensure timely access to medications, especially in remote or underserved areas.
PFSCM strengthens health supply chains to ensure high-quality antimicrobials and diagnostics reach those who need them most. By improving procurement processes, leveraging pooled procurement networks, and supporting local procurement capacity, PFSCM is improving supply chains that support AMR stewardship efforts.
Key strategies for strengthening supply chains in response to AMR
Several strategies can enhance the effectiveness of supply chains in combatting AMR:
- Pooled procurement networks
Pooled procurement – the collective buying power of multiple countries or organizations – is one of the most effective strategies to ensure consistent access to quality-assured antimicrobials and diagnostics. By pooling demand, PFSCM can negotiate better pricing, reduce transaction costs, and ensure that smaller countries, particularly those with limited procurement capacity, have access to the necessary medicines.
PFSCM’s extensive global network and experience negotiating large-scale procurement deals allow us to ensure that countries with limited purchasing power can access high-quality antimicrobials at affordable prices. This is critical in LMICs, where drug prices can be prohibitive and often result in the use of substandard or falsified medicines.
- Reliable and efficient distribution systems
Ensuring that medicines and diagnostics reach healthcare workers and patients in a timely manner is essential in combatting AMR. Efficient distribution systems are necessary to prevent stock-outs, minimize the risk of expired drug medicines, and ensure that cold-chain products (like certain antimicrobials) are properly stored during transit.
PFSCM tracks shipments, maintains visibility in the supply chain, and uses data loggers to monitor temperature-sensitive products. We also partner with local stakeholders to ensure that products are delivered safely and efficiently, even to the most remote and hard-to-reach areas.
- Improved regulatory compliance and quality assurance
For antimicrobial stewardship to be effective, the medicines that are available must meet rigorous quality standards. Substandard or counterfeit drugs are a major contributor to the spread of AMR. By working with prequalified suppliers, conducting audits, and strengthening regulatory oversight, PFSCM helps ensure that only safe, effective, and high-quality products enter the supply chain.
Additionally, PFSCM’s technical expertise in navigating complex regulatory environments helps governments ensure that importation documentation is processed in a timely manner, facilitating the swift delivery of essential products.
The role of partnerships: a collective effort
Addressing AMR is a global challenge that requires global cooperation. Partnerships between governments, organizations, the private sector, and local communities are essential to improving AMR prevention efforts. PFSCM collaborates closely with global donors, as well as regional health organizations and national governments, to share information, coordinate responses, and develop sustainable solutions.
Through our engagement in international initiatives like the Antimicrobial Resistance Access and Stewardship Initiative (AMRASI), QUAMED, and the Integrated Diagnostics Consortium (IDC), we help foster a unified response to AMR that spans human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
Educate. Advocate. Act Now.
This year’s World AMR Week theme—Educate. Advocate. Act Now.—calls on all sectors to take action. For PFSCM, this means continuing to work on the frontlines of the fight against AMR by providing sustainable supply chain solutions, ensuring access to quality medicines, and strengthening health systems in LMICs.
We call on our partners, stakeholders, and the global community to act now to address the AMR crisis. Education and advocacy are vital to raising awareness about the importance of prudent antimicrobial use, strengthening regulatory frameworks, and ensuring that health systems are equipped to manage resistance. But the true measure of success will be in the tangible actions we take to improve access to medicines, reduce the spread of resistance, and ultimately save lives.
By advocating for quality medicines, improving supply chain systems, and promoting One Health, we can act now to reduce the threat of AMR and safeguard global health for future generations.