AMR Alliance Japan

Report Calls on G20 to Take Antimicrobial Market Problems and
AMR Seriously as Health Security Issues

[TOKYO, October 16, 2019] Today, AMR Alliance Japan released “The Stable Supply of Antimicrobials and Crisis in the Antimicrobial Market – A Call for Action from the G20.” This report summarizes recommendations based on an urgent forum convened by AMR Alliance Japan on October 3, ahead of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting.

Proper antimicrobial stewardship is vital to the fight against AMR and relies on the stable supply of antimicrobials. However, problems have arisen recently related to the antimicrobial supply chain in Japan, threatening efforts to treat infectious diseases and prevent surgery-related infections. Because pharmaceutical manufacturing is global, relying on production centers located all across the world, the resolution of antimicrobial supply issues is not possible through the efforts of one country alone. Furthermore, supply problems have arisen in the context of a worldwide crisis in the antimicrobial market – the profitability of antimicrobials and the predictability of the market are decreasing, making it challenging for pharmaceutical companies to research and develop new antimicrobials or ensure the stable supply of existing ones. Global solutions to structural issues in the antimicrobial market are urgently needed from the perspective of preventing the further spread of AMR in the future. These structural issues pose a serious health security issue – without further action, it is predicted that as many as 10 million people could die from AMR-related causes annually by 2050.

Within the G20 Osaka Leaders’ Declaration released in June 2019, heads of state from around the world communicated their commitment to global cooperation on AMR based on a One Health Approach.* The Declaration stated that a call for further action “should be taken to promote stewardship of and access to antimicrobials.” With the release of this new report, AMR Alliance Japan is calling on G20 Health Ministers to make antimicrobial supply and market issues a priority in their discussions on AMR.

*“G20 Osaka Leaders’ Declaration” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, https://g20.org/pdf/documents/en/FINAL_G20_Osaka_Leaders_Declaration.pdf

[About AMR Alliance Japan]
AMR Alliance Japan is an independent platform for multisector discussion with the mission of contributing to the improvement of public health by promoting measures on AMR. The Alliance was established in November 2018 by a coalition of Japanese academic societies working in infectious disease medicine as well as pharmaceutical and medical technology companies. Current members include, in alphabetical order: The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, The Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology, The Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control, The Japanese Society for Medical Mycology, The Japanese Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, The Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, The Japanese Society of Pharmaceutical Healthcare and Sciences, The Japanese Society of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, The Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, MSD K.K., Nippon Becton, Dickinson and Company, Ltd., Pfizer Japan Inc., The Pharmaceutical Society of Japan, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., and Shiro Shoni Iryo Mamoro Kodomo-tachi no Kai. The Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) serves as Secretariat of the Alliance

■ AMR Alliance Japan (https://www.amralliancejapan.org/en/)
Grand Cube 3F, Otemachi Financial City, Global Business Hub Tokyo, 1-9-2, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo, 100-0004 JAPAN Tel: +81-3-4243-7156 Fax: +81-3-4243-7378 　E-mail: info@hgpi.org