Pharma companies Cipla, Wockhardt in global alliance to fight drug resistance

New York : Major Indian drug makers Cipla and Wockhardt are among a group of 13 global pharmaceutical firms which have joined hands in laying out a road map to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by 2020.

The road map by these 13 drug firms follows the Industry Declaration signed in January 2016 at the World Economic Forum by more than 100 companies and trade associations, the companies said in a joint statement.

The other companies in the alliance include global majors such as Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi and AstraZeneca.

The four key commitments on reducing antimicrobial resistance are: reducing the environmental impact from the production of antibiotics; ensuring antibiotics are used only by patients who need them; improving access to current and future antibiotics, vaccines and diagnostics and exploring new opportunities for open collaborations between industry and the public sector, the statement said.

Welcoming the initiative, WHO Antimicrobial Resistance Secretariat Director Marc Sprenger said: "In particular, the measures to reduce the environmental impact of the production of antibiotics, advance stewardship and minimise over-the- counter and non-prescription internet sales of antibiotics will be of great benefit.

"I strongly encourage the collaboration between industry and governments, as it is only together that we can tackle antimicrobial resistance."

Chairman of the Review on Antimicrobial Resistance Jim O'Neill hailed the latest commitments from major pharma firms to do their bit in the world's response to drug-resistant infections.

"We will only overcome this challenge through effective collaboration between governments, NGOs and the private sector," he added.

The companies support the establishment of a high-level coordinating mechanism to provide global leadership, mobilize resources, set goals, and measure progress towards them, the statement said.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the natural process by which bacteria and other microbes develop resistance to the drugs commonly used to treat infections. Antimicrobials include antibiotics (which act only on bacteria), antivirals, antiparasitics and antifungals.