On August 6, 2020, AMR Alliance Japan (Secretariat: Health and Global Policy Research Institute (HGPI)) held a meeting to debate the policy recommendation, “The Future of the AMR Surveillance System.”

At the meeting, Alliance members and external experts discussed the domestic AMR surveillance system from the perspective of risk management. Based on the discussion at this meeting and separate interviews with infectious disease experts, the Alliance Secretariat compiled a list of recommendations on the domestic AMR surveillance system. Those recommendations can be found at the bottom of this page.

AMR refers to the phenomena by which bacteria become immune to antimicrobial treatments over time as those treatments are used more and more. Infectious diseases brought on by antimicrobial resistant bacteria can be difficult to treat, and can even be fatal in worst case scenarios.

It is estimated that as many as 8,000 people die every year of AMR-related causes in Japan. The problem of AMR is growing worse across the world. If current trends continue, it is projected that by 2050, as many as 10 million people could potentially die of AMR-related causes globally every year.

HGPI has taken a leading role in AMR policy within Japan as the secretariat of AMR Alliance Japan, which works with member Japanese medical societies, healthcare companies, and civil society organizations to develop and promote recommendations toward stronger AMR countermeasures. AMR Alliance Japan released broad-based recommendations for AMR policy in July 2019, and is currently actively working to realize those recommendations. More information on the Alliance and AMR can be found on the AMR Alliance Japan website at https://www.amralliancejapan.org/en/

Note: In light of the situation with novel coronavirus, this meeting was carried out online.

■Meeting Participants (alphabetical order by last name)
Kyoko Ama (Board Member, Japan Patient Support Research Organization)
Yoshiaki Gu (Chief, Information and Education Division, AMR Clinical Reference Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine)
Midori Hirai (Auditor, The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan / Director, Japanese Red Cross Hyogo Blood Center)
Satoshi Kamayachi (Executive Board Member, Japan Medical Association)
Masashi Kawata (Senior Manager, Public Affairs & Policy, Corporate Affairs, Health & Value, Pfizer Japan Inc.)
Nobuaki Matsunaga (Chief, Clinical Epidemiology Division, AMR Clinical Reference Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine)
Yuri Miura (Senior Industry Policy Specialist, Public and Industrial Policy, Health Policy, MSD K.K.)
Choichiro Miyazaki (Vice Chairman, Japan Pharmaceutical Association)
Yuichi Muraki (Representative, Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Health Care and Sciences / Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacoepidemiology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University)
Akio Ozaki (Director, Public and Industry Policy, Health Policy, MSD K. K.)
Makoto Seno (Marketing Director, Nippon Becton Dickinson Company, Ltd.)
Takuko Sawada (Director of the Board, Executive Vice President, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.)
Kazutoshi Shibuya (President, The Japanese Society for Medical Mycology / Professor, Department of Surgical Pathology, Toho University)
Satoshi Takagi (Business Director, Integrated Diagnostic Solutions, Medication Management Solutions, Nippon Becton Dickinson Company, Ltd.)
Kazuhiro Tateda (President, The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases / President, The Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology / Professor, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Toho University)
Yasunori Tawaragi (Director, International Affairs, Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association)
Masaki Yoshida (President, Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control / Professor, Department of Infectious Disease and Infection Control, The Jikei University School of Medicine)

Facilitators:
Matt McEnany (AMR Alliance Japan Secretariat / Senior Manager, HGPI)
Tomohito Shibata (AMR Alliance Japan Secretariat / Senior Associate, HGPI)