The current global pandemic provoked by COVID-19 has brought into sharp focus the importance of effective infection detection and control systems in controlling the rapid spread of infections, avoiding healthcare collapse and strengthening the health system by reinforcing the preparedness and ensuring its resilience, contributing to the latter to the priorities now in the EU Health Policy.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time or no longer respond to available drugs or treatments, making infections harder to control and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) named AMR in the 10 most urgent threats that will demand attention from WHO and health partners. It is estimated to be responsible for over 25,000 deaths per year in the EU alone and 700,000 deaths per year globally. and might cause more deaths than cancer by 2050.
Additionally, it pushes up the cost of treatment and diminishes resources and productivity; in the EU it is estimated that AMR already costs in excess of 1.5 billion euros annually in healthcare costs and productivity losses. Furthermore, current COVID-19 pandemic situation is exacerbating AMR. Data from some EU countries suggest that 6.9% of COVID-19 diagnoses are associated with bacterial infections (3.5% diagnosed concurrently and 14.3% post-COVID-19), with higher prevalence in patients who require intensive critical care. In the same study, it is reported that 72% of COVID-19 patients received antibiotics even when not clinically indicated, which can also promote resistances.
With the aim to contribute to fight described problematic, main objectives of ANTI-SUPERBUGS PCP were:
• The creation and consolidation of a pan-European network of procurers, who, by sharing their needs and efforts can enable the development of novel technologies aimed to cover bigger market challenges in areas of common European interest.
• The definition of the cross-border and joint pre-commercial public procurement procedure that best met ANTI-SUPERBUGS PCP procuring authorities’ needs and that addressed the major societal challenge selected, supported to early detection and of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or the support to health-care associated infections prevention.
• The mutual learning, knowledge sharing and transferring within the consortium and across different fields, technologies and procurement disciplines (social, economic, legal, technical) and EU countries.
