Vol 8 No 9 p235-236
October 2001

News summary

Drug resistance could undermine antibiotic research, WHO warns

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that money spent by the pharmaceutical industry on the research and development of antibiotics could be wasted if drug resistance is not tackled promptly.

The warning was given as WHO launched the document "WHO global strategy for containment of antimicrobial resistance".

The strategy document recognises that hospitals are a critical component of the resistance problem worldwide and recommends the monitoring of the quantity and pattern of antimicrobial use. The outcome of such monitoring should be fed back to prescribers.

Dr David Heymann, WHO executive director for communicable diseases, said that an increasing number of people admitted into hospitals for simple procedures are coming out with infections that are "almost impossible to treat".

A multidisciplinary approach to the fight against drug resistance is stressed in the WHO document, which also states that hospital pharmacists have a role to play in reducing the use of antimicrobial drugs.

The WHO strategy document on antimicrobial resistance can be viewed on the internet here (PDF* file, 530K).

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