Antimicrobials have saved millions of lives throughout the many decades they have been in use as a common drug to treat infection. However, antimicrobial resistance is now a global health security challenge and it is predicted that by 2050 up to 10 million human lives could be lost annually due to antibiotic resistant bacterial infections. Similarly, invasive fungal infections are life threating and are of increasing importance due to the expanding population of immunosuppressed patients and the limited number of available antifungal treatments. In addition, AMR limits our ability to achieve several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The global challenge to address AMR goes beyond the production of new antibiotics and therapies. Reducing demand for new antibiotics through public awareness, infection prevention and control, prudent and rational use of antibiotics for humans and animals, as well as effective diagnosis and surveillance of antibiotic-resistant infections and monitoring antibiotic use, are crucial when dealing with this problem globally.
The objectives of JPIAMR-ACTION are to:
•Increase understanding of transmission pathways of AMR in and between humans, animals and the environment, and allow for the identification of preventative measures or interventions that can be used to limit transmission of AMR genes, residues and organisms.
•Promote research aimed to develop and test infection prevention and control measures and One Health intervention strategies and methodologies to prevent or reduce the transmission and spread of AMR.
•Promote research on interventions that will lower the use of antibiotics in human and animal healthcare and lead to a reduction in the risk that AMR poses to health.
•Increase mobilisation of national funding by implementing sustainable coordination and alignment of research amongst the countries participating in JPIAMR-ACTION, and beyond, by launching a transnational call for proposals with EC co-funding resulting in grants to third parties.
•Implement the JPIAMR SRIA and Roadmap of Actions 2019-2024 through a series of additional activities without EU co-funding, including research calls, network calls and the undertaking of activities through the JPIAMR-Virtual Research Institute (JPIAMR-VRI).
