BioMerieux highlights commitment to fighting antimicrobial resistance

BioMerieux has highlighted the various measures it is adopting to combat the spread of antimicrobial resistance at an industry event in Annecy, France.

At the fourth edition of the World Healthcare Associated Infections Forum – an event organised by BioMerieux – representatives from the company met with more than 70 experts from the field in order to discuss this crucial healthcare challenge.

BioMerieux has committed to assessing the global burden of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use through worldwide surveys involving an international alliance, with the aim of providing indicators for global measurement of the trend.

It has also pledged to carry out a multicentre interventional study to document the lasting benefits of prudent antibiotic use, in order to support the production of best practice guidelines that can be shared among healthcare professionals.

The initial results of these initiatives are expected to be made available within the next 18 months.

Antibiotic resistance has been identified by the UK government as a potentially catastrophic threat to public health, with health secretary Jeremy Hunt and chief medical officer Professor Dame Sally Davies calling for global action on the matter earlier this year.