We asked Dr. Catherine Duggan, CEO of the International Pharmaceutical Federation, about what clinical pharmacists can do in their roles to contribute to and promote antimicrobial stewardship.

Humans have been using plant and animal derived products (biologics) to treat disease for thousands of years, but the advent of mass production in the 20th century enabled the growth of biologics as a recognized class of medicines. Unlike chemically derived medicines, which combine specific ingredients in an ordered process, biologics are typically very large, complex molecules or mixtures of molecules that are difficult to characterize.

Tuberculosis (TB) fatalities continue to rise. In 2022, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB, compared to 10.3 million in 2021 and 10 million in 2020. The infectious disease killed 1.3 million people worldwide each year. In 2022, TB remained the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease, after COVID-19, and caused almost twice as many deaths as HIV/AIDS.

Antimicrobial resistant bacteria pose a major public health threat because they limit treatment options for infectious diseases. Common ailments like urinary tract infections (UTIs), which have often been easily and quickly cured by antibiotics historically, are becoming harder to treat due to resistant bacteria. Not only does this prolong discomfort for those suffering from UTIs, it also presents the danger that the infection may lead to a more serious condition.