We are seeking Antibiotic Action Champions from across the globe who can help us to raise the profile of the need to discover and develop new antibiotics. Champions can be from all professional and public walks of life, and will work together to promote Antibiotic Action to new and existing audiences – students, post docs, nurses, pharmacists, funders, government, patients and their representatives and others.

We want Antibiotic Action Champions to talk to others about us, mention us on facebook, promote us via Twiotter. The messages will be simple – just promote why antibiotics are important, why they need to be used appropriately and why it is important for new agents to be developed. No experience needed!! – just an enthusiasm to help others realise the importance of this initiative to medicine globally and to the management of infections, from the routine to more life-threatening and complex.

The first task of Antibiotic Action Champions is to get as many people as possible to sign the online petition as possible. We have set ourselves the enormous task of gathering 100000 signatures from around the globe in 2012! Please help us to do this.

Together we can ensure that managing infectious diseases receives the profile and attention that is needed and deserved.

Be an Antibiotic Champion – be determined to make a difference.

For further information contact: Tracey Guise – tguise@bsac.org.uk

The Telegraph Superbugs are becoming “untreatable” doctors warn
BBC News Action on Antibiotics
BBC News Are we losing the fight against superbugs?
BBC News Myths that antibiotics cure coughs and colds continues
Radio 4 You and Yours Interview with Professor Laura Piddock (Chapter 7)
Daily Mail Rise of the deadly superbugs that cant be beaten
International Business Times Deadly superbugs cannot be treated doctors warn
The Independent The cure all is in danger of becoming a cure nothing
Wales Online Lack of new antibiotics is a “timebomb” ……
Medical News Today No antibiotics for future infections – possible if nothing is done today
Lifestyle AOL Experts warn that overuse of superbugs …..
Wired Science Running out of Antibiotics – Europe gets it
New Zealand Top News Immediate action required to hammer superbugs
Washington MedPage Today Europeans seek lead in new antibiotics
American Council on Science and Health

and others including …

Radio 4 Interview with Dr Kieran Hand
Sky News, live national coverage, 18th November 2011 (podcast awaited)
The Times Newspaper

Does this House agree that it must support and help identify initiatives that will regenerate the discovery and development of new antibiotic agents, as advocated by the UK led global initiative Antibiotic Action?

A Hansard copy of the reply will be published in due course.

In additon Antibiotic Action is pleased to announce that tabling on 9 November of the Early Day Motion number 2418:

That this House notes the importance of the aims of the Antibiotic Action Initiative of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy that is examining ways to encourage the discovery, research and development to bring to market new antibacterial agents; further notes the need to ensure that licensing processes are streamlined to provide safe and rapid licensing of antibiotics; understands the need to stimulate industry to overcome the challenges in developing and bringing to market new antibiotics; and supports a drive for initiatives to encourage more partnership working between academia, pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies in order to maximise the conversion of discovered candidate molecules into licensed antibiotics available for use on the NHS.

Thank you to Kevin Barron MP and his colleagues across all parties that have supported and will continue to support our initiative.

A Petition, bearing over 4,500 signatures in support of Antibiotic Action, a UK led global initiative was presented to 10 Downing Street at 2.30pm on Wednesday 9th November.

The Petition was presented by Professor Laura Piddock who leads this campaign for BSAC, with Ms Vicki Longstaff (Nurse), Mr Graham Tanner (WHO Patient Champion), and Dr Hilary Jones (General Practitioner). These represented academia, doctors, nurses and patients – representing just a small proportion of professionals with an interest in the important aims of this campaign. The Antibiotic Action event attracted significant professional, public and parliamentary support and the petition party members even managed to negotiate their way through London on a day when 3 national groups were protesting!

Next week, the Petition will be presented to the House of Commons by Kevin Barron MP for debate.

Photograph: From left in clockwise order: Ms Vicki Longstaff, Mr Graham Tanner, Dr Hilary Jones and Professor Laura Piddock (Professor of Microbiology/President of BSAC) ready to present the Petition at 10 Downing Street

ANTIBIOTIC ACTION’S CAMPAIGN TO GO GLOBAL FOLLOWING PARLIAMENTARY SUCCESS

Antibiotic Action, a UK led global initiative, yesterday delivered a petition to 10 Downing Street signed by almost 5,000 clinicians and scientists – and declared its campaign was going global to help save lives around the world of those at risk from untreatable infections.

The parliamentary launch sponsored by Kevin Barron MP, former chair of the Health Select Committee, resulted in swift and strong support including the tabling of an Early Day Motion and support for a new all-party parliamentary group to support antibiotic research and development.

At the launch event, attended amongst others by Shadow Health Secretary, Andy Burnham, Mr Barron urged parliamentary colleagues to support the initiative.

Prof Laura Piddock, President of BSAC, talked about how many factors, including complex regulation and lack of return on investment has led to the market failure of antibiotic development. It is estimated to cost $500 million to develop one new antibiotic, a sum companies find it hard to recoup when these drugs are sold cheaply and are given for short periods of time.

She warned that the shortage of effective, modern antibiotics could result in a healthcare crisis as infections of the 21^st Century become increasingly resistant to currently available antibiotics and so untreatable.

“We need action now, and the action should be on producing new antibiotics, and we need to think global about this. We have launched Antibiotic Action in the UK, but it is a global initiative that has received global support. In the next few weeks we plan to roll out our campaign out in other countries. We are looking today for UK government and all political parties to support this initiative and help us achieve this.”

Dr Hilary Jones, a GP and ITV doctor, spoke of his support for the campaign, and the urgency for new antibiotics. He said:

“About 30 years ago in 1983- 1987 there were about 16 antibiotics brought forward into production, and compared to 2008 to 2012, where we are expecting something like two or four. And we don’t know if any of those will give us the clinical efficacy that we really need.

“A return to a pre-antibiotic era would be a terrible and devastating proposition, but it is a very real possibility if things stay as they are. At the turn of the last century it was quite common for families to lose at least two or three siblings, and perhaps a parent, to what we consider routine infections today. Imagine a world today where wound infections kill people, where operations, like hip and knee replacements, lead to infections which people would succumb to Рpurely because we don’t have sufficient antibiotics to treat routine secondary complications. Resistance to antibiotics is growing, it’s a very real problem and we shouldn’t be complacent.”

Dr Matthew Dryden, a consultant at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, Winchester Hospital, said antibiotic resistance is a global problem which knows no boundaries and it was vital to have government support.

“Our campaign urges the government to facilitate the link between research departments in universities, industry and regulatory authorities to help discover and deliver novel antibiotics. We should be good at doing this in Britain as we have excellent research departments enabling this to happen.

“Today is the beginning of a long journey, but one we are determined to make, and which we are determined to succeed in.”

The guests, who included representatives from the nursing and clinical profession, charities, the pharmaceutical industry as well as patient advocacy groups, also heard from cystic fibrosis sufferer Sharon Brennan who described how her health and well-being depended on taking daily antibiotics.

Speaking after the event, Professor Piddock said “We are delighted that the aims of Antibiotic Action have been so well received. The combined outcomes of our Petition, the Early Day Motion and the future All Party Parliamentary Group will ensure the UK has a firm platform from which to lead this global drive to ensure the delivery of new antibiotics for future use.

Ends

Notes to Editors:

Further information is available from:

• Mrs Tracey Guise, Tel: 0121 236 1988, Email: tguise@bsac.org.uk
• Professor Laura Piddock, Tel: O121 414 6966, Email: l.j.v.piddock@bham.ac.uk

Click HERE for more helpful facts, statistics and examples for use by the Press

Broadcast 9th November 2011 (minutes 40.10s seconds onwards)

Radio 4, News, 1700hrs, Saturday 5th November 2011 (minutes 17-21 of the broadcast).
CLICK HERE

The crisis of no new antibiotics – the way forward. Piddock LJV
LancetInfDis – IN PRESS

Tackling Antibiotic Resistance
Nature Reviews, Microbiology, November 2011

New Delhi metallo-?-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) – potentially a major global health problem

Trends among pathogens reported as causing bacteraemia in England, 2004–2008

New antibiotics in the pipeline but the situation still dire