(UK) Antibiotic resistance plan to fight 'urgent' global threat

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-46973641

Antibiotic resistance plan to fight 'urgent' global threat

6 hours ago

Drug-resistant superbugs are as big a threat as climate change, the health secretary will say as he unveils a new five-year plan to tackle the problem. Overuse of antibiotics is making infections harder to treat and leading to thousands of deaths a year through drug-resistant superbugs.

The government plans to change the way it funds drug companies to encourage them to develop new medicines. It is also increasing efforts to cut unnecessary use of the drugs.

The government's plan aims to control and contain antimicrobial resistance - a term that covers drug resistance in bacteria, viruses, parasites and other infections - by 2040, and reduce the use of antibiotics in humans by 15% over the next five years. It also plans to cut antibiotic use in animals by 25% from 2016 levels by next year.

The drugs advisory body, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, and NHS England will also trial a new payment model that means pharmaceutical companies will be paid for drugs based on how valuable the medicines are to the NHS, rather than by the quantity of drugs sold.
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Since 2014, the UK has cut the amount of antibiotics it uses by more than 7% but the number of drug-resistant bloodstream infections increased by 35% from 2013 to 2017. As part of the government's plans, there will be a drive to reduce infections contracted during operations and guidance for clinicians on how to prescribe antibiotics appropriately. Research has previously found that the medicines are often prescribed for conditions that are normally self-healing, such as sore throats, or for viruses, which do not even respond to antibiotics.

By 2025, the plans aim to:
◾cut the number of drug-resistant infections by 5,000 (10%)
◾be preventing at least 15,000 patients each year from contracting infections as a result of their healthcare
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