AMR is a serious threat. There were an estimated 4.95 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR in 2019, including 1.27 million deaths directly attributable to bacterial AMR. The number of AMR-related deaths is estimated to reach 10 million by 2050 unless urgent action is taken. The World Health Organization recently declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of humanity's top global public health threats. Let me take you through some of the contributors to AMR:

-       Absence of basic sanitation and hygiene controls in areas of certain areas of the world leading to high rates of infectious disease, including resistant infectious disease

-       Over-prescribing and misuse of antibiotics (Over-the-counter availability) and patients not finishing their treatments

-       Over-use of antibiotics in livestock and fish farming

-       Environmental causes, including the presence of antibiotics in wastewater from inadequate wastewater management by pharmaceutical manufacturers and inappropriate disposal of unused or expired medication

The number of AMR-related deaths is estimated to reach 10 million by 2050 unless urgent action is taken.

The WHO classifies antibiotics as essential drugs. They are key to treating life-threatening infections and to enabling common medical treatments and surgeries like cancer treatments and C-sections. In fact, the availability of antibiotics underpins healthcare systems around the globe. Yet, the manufacturing of these essential medicines may itself contribute to the development of AMR if manufacturing emissions containing antibiotic residues are not adequately controlled before release to water.

Established in 2017, and the largest life-sciences coalition created to provide sustainable solutions to curb AMR, the AMR Industry Alliance (AMRIA) created the Common Antibiotic Manufacturing Framework (CAMF) and set stringent Predicted No-Effect Concentration (PNEC) targets which determine the concentration of an antibiotic in water at which there is an unlikely risk of adverse AMR development. This year's AMRIA Progress Report shows that an impressive 85% of Alliance members involved in manufacturing antibiotics are assessing their sites against the Alliance's Common Antibiotic Manufacturing Framework (CAMF).

As a founding member of the AMRIA, Centrient fully commits to innovative, clean manufacturing by driving the PNEC targets compliance in the industry. In May 2022, we were the first generics company to publicly announce 100% compliance with the stringent PNEC discharge targets for clean manufacturing of our full oral antibiotic product range. 

What are some of the latest industry developments in the fight against AMR?

The AMRIA recently published the  Antibiotics Manufacturing Standard and is working with the British Standards Institution (BSI) to develop a certification scheme that will enable antibiotic manufacturers to demonstrate, through independent third-party certification, that the requirements of the Standard have been satisfied and an effective environmental management system is in place.

As a manufacturer committed to the sustainability of antibiotics, we at Centrient advocate for a continued need for cohesive action to minimize the possible contribution of antibiotic manufacturing to AMR. An AMR-free manufacturing base is achievable with a whole value-chain approach, meaning pharmaceutical manufacturers and stakeholders working together. Let's stop the spread of AMR together.