bio chat
is mainly logistics.
Why do the
antibacterials
feature prominently
in this year’s list?
Is it usual or there
indeed was a need
to do so owing to
certain factors? If
yes then what are
those?
Antibiotic resistance is
recognized as a major
public health threat. It
is estimated that about
10 million deaths
along with a reduction
of 2% to 3.5% in
Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) would
result in 2050 due
to antimicrobial
resistance if we do
not take any steps.
WHO and United
Nations recognize
this as a major crisis
and are making
efforts to urgently
address the issue of
antibiotic resistance.
As part of the WHO’s
Global Action Plan
on antimicrobial
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BioVoiceNews | July 2017
resistance, optimizing
the use of antibiotics
is one of the five
key objectives and
thus anti-bacterials
(antibiotics) are
It is
estimated
that about 10
million deaths
along with a
reduction of
2% to 3.5%
in Gross
Domestic
Product (GDP)
would result
in 2050 due to
antimicrobial
resistance
if we do not
take any
steps
featured prominently
in this list.
What was the
reason for the
creation of 3
categories in case
of antimicrobials on
the latest list?
Antibiotics are life
saving medicines and
access to these drugs
is vital in preventing
death from serious
bacterial infections.
However, antibiotics if
taken inappropriately,
would lead to
antibiotic resistance.
Thus, the optimization
of antibiotic includes
balancing the issue
of access to these life
saving drugs and at
the same time limiting
unnecessary use.
The categorization
was done not only to
improve access, but
at the same time to
reduce the potential
for development of
antibiotic resistance,
and preserve the
effectiveness of ‘last
resort’ antibiotics.
In India, resistance