Public healthAntibiotic Development, Stewardship Advocates See Window of Opportunity

By Chris Dall

Published 22 April 2021

The pandemic isn’t over yet, but with more and more Americans getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel becoming a little brighter every day—at least in the United States—many clinicians, scientists, and public health advocates are calling for renewed attention to an infectious disease threat that was in the spotlight before the pandemic arrived.

The pandemic isn’t over yet, but with more and more Americans getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel becoming a little brighter every day—at least in the United States—many clinicians, scientists, and public health advocates are calling for renewed attention to an infectious disease threat that was in the spotlight before the pandemic arrived.

Prior to the pandemic, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was considered one of the major looming health threats facing the world, if not the looming threat. But over the past year, COVID-19, and its multifaceted impact on society, has pushed AMR further back on the agenda, both for the public and policy makers.

At the same time, however, the pandemic is also providing AMR advocates and experts with a new opportunity to highlight the growing threat of drug-resistant bacteria.

That’s because COVID-19 has highlighted the global devastation that can be caused by a contagious pathogen with no treatment. It’s a scenario that many infectious disease (ID) clinicians and researchers have been warning about as resistance to the antibiotics that we’ve relied on for decades grows. The new awareness of this threat is raising hopes that more resources will be directed toward combating it.

Reasons for Optimism
“I’m optimistic,” said Neil Clancy, MD, an infectious disease expert at the University of Pittsburgh and the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. “COVID-19…has put ID issues more generally in the public and policymaker consciousness, including issues surrounding AMR, antibiotic use, and drug development. Hopefully, the success of COVID-19 vaccines, in particular, will reinforce the need for proactive investment in research and product development for potential emergent infectious threats.”

Clancy was one of several experts in antibiotic resistance, stewardship, and development who spoke with CIDRAP News about today’s AMR climate. Many expressed a similar sense that current events provide a moment to re-engage politicians and the public on the issue. 

COVID-19 has really put a spotlight on the importance of preparedness when it comes to emerging infectious diseases that can rapidly spread across the globe,” said David Hyun, MD, director of antibiotic resistance project at the Pew Charitable Trusts. “There is an opportunity to take that spotlight and transfer the lessons learned from the pandemic response to another public health threat, like antibiotic resistance.”