Latest news with #antimicrobialResistance
Zawya
6 days ago
- Health
- Zawya
Tunis hosts landmark One Health Conference to tackle interconnected health challenges in MENA
Tunis, Tunisia – The Government of Tunisia will host the MENA Region One Health Conference on June 14–15, 2025, in Tunis, in partnership with the World Bank and the Quadripartite collaboration on One Health comprising the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Over the course of this two-day high-level regional conference, government ministers, health sector experts, development partners, and community representatives will be present to discuss and work together on the issue of collaboration across human, animal, and environmental health. The participants will address the most significant challenges such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), climate-related health risks, food insecurity, zoonotic diseases, and the urgent need for integrated surveillance systems. The opening session will feature representatives from the Government of Tunisia and the organizing partners, as well as a high-level ministerial session with participating partner countries. 'This conference is not just an event, but a moment of collective awareness. 'One Health' is no longer a theory; it is a reality we are living and must confront together. The challenges are immense — from pandemics to food security, to antimicrobial resistance — and no individual response can be sufficient. Tunisia is fully committed to this approach and is proud to host this gathering of all those who believe in a united, shared health system, resolutely moving toward the future', said Minister of Health Dr. Moustafa Ferjani. The conference will feature several sessions on the implementation of One Health around the globe with a special focus on the MENA region. Key interventions will include remarks from Ms. Shobha Shetty, Global Director of the World Bank, Ms. Emmanuelle Soubeyran, WOAH Director General, Dr. Abdulhakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North, and Mr Abdul-Majeid Haddad, Deputy Regional Director of UNEP in West Asia, as well as a recorded message from Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO regional director. 'One Health requires breaking down silos and building a shared vision', said Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye, Division Director for the Maghreb and Malta at the World Bank. 'The World Bank reaffirms its commitment to supporting Tunisia and partner countries in the region in developing resilient, integrated, and inclusive cross-sectoral systems'. Dr. Ibrahim EL-ZIQ, WHO Tunisia representative, noted: 'This conference provides an excellent opportunity to accelerate the adoption and operationalization of the 'One Health' approach in the MENA region countries. By meeting here in Tunisia, the various actors are demonstrating their shared determination to act jointly to address complex and interconnected threats to human, animal, and environmental health. Strengthened coordination, constant political commitment and sustainable investment are key to success. We are pleased to join forces with the Tunisian government and the World Bank to co-organize this conference and remain committed to enable countries of the region in transforming this shared vision into concrete action for more resilient and healthier societies'. The conference agenda features thematic sessions on integrated surveillance, laboratory resilience, conservation and climate, and cross-border collaboration. Practitioners will share real-world applications of One Health, while interactive sessions will offer pathways to mainstream One Health at both policy and operational levels. Highlights include: The launch of the Carthage Declaration, setting out a regional roadmap to operationalize One Health. An interactive closing session with the Quadripartite and World Bank representatives outlining next steps and support mechanisms. The formal launch of a MENA One Health Community of Practice, led by Tunisia's Ministry of Health. One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and inter-dependent. The approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, and contributing to sustainable development. [1] Learn more and access the full agenda at:
Times of Oman
6 days ago
- Health
- Times of Oman
Oman's minister sheds light on one health policy in Tunis
Tunis: Oman participated on Saturday in the activities of the Regional Conference for One Health for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region hosted by the Tunisian Republic. The Sultanate participated as guest of honour by an official delegation chaired by Dr. Hilal bin Ali bin Hilal Al Sabti, Minister of Health. Dr. Al Sabti gave a speech in which he reviewed the efforts of the Sultanate of Oman in implementing the one health policy. He said that the conference comes at a significant time and represents a vital platform for exchange of expertise and optimal practices which contributes to boosting the collective efforts and regional and international cooperation in the field. In his speech, the minister shed light on the Sultanate's efforts in implementing the one health policy. He added that the Sultanate has established several national mechanisms supportive to the one health policy and formed teams in various sectors to further cement integration between the various sectors. The minister also described the leading role the Sultanate has played in the international arena in the antimicrobial resistance dossier by hosting the third high- level international ministerial meeting for the first time in the MENA region in Muscat in 2022. He said that the Muscat conference and its final declaration signed by 47 countries represents the foundation for the preparations for the high-level meeting in the UN to discuss the microbes' resistance issue held in New York on 26 September 2024. The Minister also pointed out that the Sultanate of Oman has launched the carbon neutrality (zero carbon) project, which represents a strategic pillar supportive to environmental health. The conference discussed a number of issues within the one health framework such as the basic principles and the global significance of the issue and implementation of the one health method and protection of nature under climate change conditions among other issues.
NHK
10-06-2025
- Health
- NHK
Scientists in race to fight drug resistance
What happens if antibiotics stop working? The scientific world describes this threat to global health as antimicrobial resistance, or AMR. One study warns more than 39 million people could die by 2050 unless further measures are taken. Scientists from Japan and the United Kingdom have teamed up in the race to find a solution. Dr. Tamura Tsuyoshi sees plenty of patients at his Tokyo clinic who present with the common cold. He does not prescribe antibiotics for them because the drugs are ineffective against a virus. Nevertheless, some patients want them. "There are patients who feel secure when they take antibiotics," he says, adding, "I cannot refuse them unless I completely rule out a bacterial infection." Dr. Tamura Tsuyoshi of Tamura Clinic in Tokyo Tamura runs tests to identify the cause of his patients' illnesses to help determine the best treatment. He makes a conscious effort to avoid over-prescribing antibiotics. Bacteria are constantly evolving: changing their membranes to keep drugs out, expelling drugs, or altering drugs' targets to render antibiotics ineffective. The overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics are key drivers in accelerating that process – making AMR a global problem. Core of modern medicine Dr. Matsunaga Nobuaki is an AMR expert at the Japan Institute for Health Security. He warns that if antibiotics stop working, the effects would be far-reaching. Dr. Matsunaga Nobuaki is an AMR expert at the Japan Institute for Health Security. "People need to realize that antibiotics are the infrastructure behind all modern medical care," he says. "If people can't use them, then cancer patients are at risk, not just from cancer, but infectious diseases. Also, doctors need to consider the risk of resistant bacteria when they do surgery." Patients undergoing surgery are routinely administered antibiotics to prevent infection, including women giving birth by cesarean section. Cancer patients whose immune systems are weakened by chemotherapy are also at risk. Developing new antibiotics While the appropriate use of antibiotics is essential to tackle AMR, there is also a need for new antibiotics to replace those that have become ineffective. According to the World Health Organization, the matter is urgent. Research institutions in both Japan and the UK are teaming up to try and meet this challenge. Dr. Alicia Demirjian is an infectious disease specialist from the UK Health Security Agency who visited Japan in February. The country used to be a medical powerhouse back in the 1980s, and she says it has the potential to reclaim that mantle. Dr. Alicia Demirjian, UK Health Security Agency, fourth from left, in Japan "I think we can rely on some of the science that has been done before," she says. "The fact that the public is aware that there have been some very strong Japanese scientists to build on this and bring back the notion that AMR is an important topic, infectious diseases are an important topic, and we know it is possible within Japan." Dr. Alicia Demirjian, UK Health Security Agency Matsunaga and Demirjian visited Japanese institutions that could make a difference, including Kitasato University in Tokyo. The laboratories there have collected soil from across Japan, isolating hundreds of microorganisms with the goal of seeing if any can be used to make new drugs. A collaboration is now underway with the University of Warwick in the UK. A researcher outlines the laboratory work to Matsunaga, third from left, and Demirjian, fourth from left. Kitasato University's President Sunazuka Toshiaki says while the basic research is underway, finding new compounds with potential is a long, difficult process. "The project offers us a good chance, and I think we can have a win-win relationship," he says of the joint enterprise. Private companies are also involved. Pharmaceutical firm Shionogi is behind one of the latest antibiotics that works against drug-resistant bacteria. It was approved in the United States in 2019. With approval of the antibiotic's safety and efficacy, it is now used in 26 countries and regions. Shionogi vice chairperson Sawada Takuko told Matsunaga and Demirjian that many companies around the world do not work on developing antibiotics because it is simply not profitable. Sawada Takuko, Vice Chairperson of the Board, Shionogi Sawada notes some fledgling drug companies have gone bankrupt even after the successful development and launch of products to market, which risks discouraging progress. "If young researchers saw that situation, why can they choose infectious disease area for their research?" she says. Sawada is calling for more government support to sustain the development of new antibiotics. Matsunaga and Demirjian meet with Sawada. Market challenges In countries like Japan and the UK, governments are allocating funds towards the production of new medicines to tackle AMR. Japan is investing 1.3 billion yen or more than $9 million annually as incentives for firms that have launched drugs targeting a specific type of drug resistant bacteria onto the market. The way in which new antibiotics are introduced ― and saved for use at appropriate times ― makes it a long, expensive process. Overusing newly developed drugs would feed into the existing problem. Raising awareness At a workshop hosted by Matsunaga and Demirjian, participants discussed how to raise public awareness of AMR. "I think we all now have some homework," says Demirjian. "We have to go back within our respective organizations, continue the advocacy work that needs to be done and then continue to touch base every now and then so that we can keep progressing the work." Reducing AMR's death toll The estimated number of deaths associated with AMR was nearly five million in 2019. Last year, world leaders at the United Nations committed to reducing that total by 10 percent by 2030. For now, the WHO wants countries to develop and implement their own AMR action plans. But lower- and middle-income countries have difficulty funding the required initiatives, and also struggle to get testing kits and appropriate medicines. Inadequate sanitation on top of those issues creates a perfect storm for the growth of resistant bacteria. AMR used to be called a "silent pandemic." Many researchers have dropped that name now that it has become an urgent problem with grave consequences.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
New antibiotic that could save millions of lives enters final testing
Roche, a Swiss drugmaker, is advancing zosurabalpin, a new antibiotic developed with Harvard University, into the third and final phase of testing. Zosurabalpin will be tested against drug-resistant acinetobacter baumannii bacteria, which the CDC identifies as an "urgent threat" and has not been addressed by new antibiotics in over 50 years. The Phase 3 trial will involve approximately 400 patients worldwide, comparing zosurabalpin to standard treatment. Roche aims to combat antimicrobial resistance with this innovation, potentially revealing new insights into bacterial membranes for future antibiotic discovery. The experimental drug is hoped to be approved by the end of the decade, addressing the global issue of Sepsis, which causes approximately 11 million deaths annually, and community-acquired pneumonia, which kills three to four million people each year.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
New ‘superbug' antibiotic to treat sepsis and pneumonia enters last phase of testing
A new antibiotic that has the potential to save millions of lives has entered its last phase of human testing. Swiss drugmaker Roche announced it would advance the testing of an antibiotic against a common bacterium that causes serious hospital infections like pneumonia and sepsis into the third and final stage of testing. The antibiotic zosurabalpin, which is jointly developed with Harvard University, is to be tested against drug-resistant acinetobacter baumannii bacteria. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) labels acinetobacter baumannii as an 'urgent threat', but there have been no antibiotics created which react to it in more than 50 years. Roche announced the phase 3 trial will be a single pivotal study with approximately 400 patients from around the world, randomised to receive either zosuarbalpin or the standard treatment. Michael Lobritz, global head of infectious diseases at Roche, said: 'Our goal is to contribute new innovations to overcome antimicrobial resistance, one of the biggest infectious disease challenges to public health.' Larry Tsai, senior vice president and global head of immunology and product development at Genentech, a unit of Roche, said the drug-resistant bacteria 'are present in every country of the world'. He added that 'the innovative biology involved in this research could potentially reveal new insights into the structure of bacterial membranes, possibly leading to the discovery of new antibiotics in the future'. It is hoped the experimental drug will be approved by the end of the decade. Globally, sepsis is estimated to cause approximately 11 million deaths each year – one death every 2.8 seconds. Worldwide, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) kills three to four million people each year with high morbidity and mortality, particularly among elderly patients.
