SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGIES

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)

Antibiotic resistance, a global health issue

Antibiotic resistance is a major global public health problem, responsible today for over 1 million deaths a year worldwide, and which could, according to the World Health Organization, cause 10 million deaths a year by 2050 if nothing is done.

In July 2022, the European Commission and member states identified antibiotic resistance as one of the three main priority health threats.

On June 13, 2023, the European Council adopted a recommendation on stepping up EU action against antimicrobial resistance as part of the “One Health” approach.

In September 2024, two major actions reaffirmed the urgency of tackling antimicrobial resistance. First, an extensive study published by The Lancet, one of the world’s most influential medical journals, highlighted the growing scale of the threat. Additionally, at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), world leaders committed to reducing the 4.95 million annual deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by 10% by 2030.

A growing phenomenon

Although many antibiotics have been developed over the years, bacteria have been able to quickly develop mechanisms to resist them. The growing threat of antibiotic resistance has been the main driver of the focus on developing alternative treatments, including bacteriophages, also known as “phages”.

The phenomenon of resistance has increased dramatically over the last 15 years. Widespread overuse of antibiotics and improper compliance are the main causes of this increased prevalence of multi-resistant infections.

Another major consequence of the spread of antibiotic resistance would be that surgical procedures that are very common today and absolutely key could no longer be performed, leading to a real health disaster.