The Trinity Challenge and the One Health Trust delivered a workshop today in Bengaluru to explore community access to effective antibiotics. The workshop convened healthcare leaders, researchers, tech specialists, and other experts to explore two barriers to access to effective antibiotics: stock control and substandard or falsified oral antibiotics. These issues impact both human and animal health.
The workshop included talks from experts on the challenges of stock control on local and national levels, and potential ways to identify substandard and falsified medicines. Delegates then designed and tested ideas for solutions, presenting their prototypes.
Prof. Marc Mendelson, Director, the Trinity Challenge, said, “It is always illuminating and exciting to work with colleagues in India; a country with some of the greatest health expertise and innovation working to tackle the world’s highest rates of antibiotic-resistant infections. Today’s workshop was a dynamic step in addressing the problems which prevent communities having access to the appropriate, effective antibiotics.”
Prof. Ramanan Laxminarayan, Founder and President, the One Health Trust, said, “The workshop has been a powerful reminder that solving complex problems in global health requires a diverse cohort of skills and expertise. The ideas generated by our multi-disciplinary groups of delegates in only a short time show us that we need lateral, creative thinking to drive change on antimicrobial resistance.”
Access to assured-quality antibiotics remains a pressing issue, with substandard or falsified antibiotics accounting for an estimated 10% of human antibiotic consumption in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Improved stock control can also ensure antibiotics reach those who need them the most; of the 7.75 million people who die of bacterial sepsis each year, almost 3 million have infections that could have been treated with commonly-used, oral antibiotics such as penicillin and amoxicillin, which are generally low cost, less likely to drive antibiotic resistance in bacteria, and should be widely available. Children under five years of age in LMICs are especially affected.
The Bengaluru workshop aligned with the launch yesterday of the Trinity Challenge on Community Access to Effective Antibiotics, a new global innovation competition. The charity is calling for data-driven solutions and has a prize fund of up to £1 million.
