Marcy l’Étoile (France) – Sept. 25, 2018 – bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, is participating in the AMR Challenge, a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to bring government, healthcare and industry leaders together in a year-long concentrated effort to accelerate the fight against the public health threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This initiative expands on the commitments of the 2015 White House Stewardship Forum, at which bioMérieux was one of two infectious disease diagnostic companies invited to participate, among 150 other global healthcare leaders.
The AMR Challenge represents the next phase in the CDC’s endeavor to call on all sectors to partner together to curtail and fight AMR. According to a 2016 study commissioned by the British government, by 2050, AMR could kill as many as 10 million people each year and cost the world economy as much as $100 trillion.
bioMérieux will actively participate in the AMR Challenge with three commitments:
- Innovative diagnostics: In 2018, approximately 75% of bioMérieux’s clinical R&D budget is dedicated to develop effective diagnostics that support the fight against AMR. With a longstanding expertise in microbiology, bioMérieux provides clinical diagnostic solutions and services to guide clinicians and support them in determining the most effective treatment, for improved patient care. The Company’s portfolio also encompasses industrial applications for pathogen detection in the agri-food and pharmaceutical industries and in veterinary medicine (One Health approach).
- International surveys: bioMérieux is the sole sponsor of the Global Point Prevalence Survey (GLOBAL-PPS), the first global initiative providing a unique overview of the global burden of antibiotic use and resistance rates in hospitals worldwide, led by Pr. Herman Goossens, University of Antwerp (Belgium). In 2017, it was conducted in more than 50 countries and over 400 hospital networks, gathering data on more than 100,000 hospitalized patients. In view of the importance of the information generated by this survey to effect beneficial changes in hospital practice, the GLOBAL-PPS will now be repeated annually.
- Public-private partnerships: Among several public-private partnerships, bioMérieux is part of COMBACTE (COMbatting BACTerial resistance in Europe), a unique research consortium aiming at boosting research and innovation against AMR within the framework of Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). Furthermore bioMérieux is leading an IVD industrial community calling for an IMI co-funded project to demonstrate the value of diagnostics to combat antimicrobial resistance by optimizing antibiotic use.
bioMérieux is pleased to be participating in the CDC’s launch event tonight in New York City. Representing bioMérieux is Christine Ginocchio, PhD MT(ASCP), Vice President, Global Medical Affairs for bioMérieux. The launch event will be live streamed beginning at 7pm EST and can be viewed online here.
bioMérieux provides the largest product offering, with effective diagnostic solutions for screening, pathogen identification, antibiotic susceptibility testing, epidemiological surveillance & outbreak detection, and appropriate antibiotic therapy guidance. Diagnostic tests are essential for antibiotic stewardship programs and the bioMérieux product offering brings key complementary components to such an approach. The Company is also involved in many educational initiatives to raise awareness on the importance of diagnostics and the appropriate use of antibiotics to curb antimicrobial resistance.
For more information, please visit: https://www.antimicrobial-resistance.biomerieux.com/