Martijn van Gerven joins roundtable discussions at WHO Operational Guidance and SECURE Operational Planning Meeting

Improving access to antimicrobial products, especially in LMICs, is a key component in the fight against drug-resistant infections. To foster responsible access and stewardship efforts, GARDP and WHO are hosting a three-day meeting co-organised by Unitaid and the Global Drug Facility.

The goals of the event are to: 

• Define a list of key antibiotics to pilot for SECURE. 

• Ensure the willingness of industry members to participate in SECURE. 

• Develop a WHO guidance that defines how antibiotics can be introduced in LMICs. 

• Set up a pilot project that will serve as a proof-of-concept of the SECURE model. 

The first two days will consist of presentations and group sessions centred around WHO's guidance on country preparedness for the introduction and preservation of essential antibiotics. The third day will focus on operationalising the SECURE initiative.

Martijn will participate in multiple roundtable discussions, in which he plans to speak on key considerations for introducing and stewarding new antibiotics in LMICs; priority antibiotics and the preparatory steps required to make key decisions (including resourcing decisions); and actions needed for the different types of approaches that can be taken to implement the product roll-out.

As Research Coordinator for the Foundation’s Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Programme, Martijn will draw on his expertise and findings from the Foundation’s extensive research on AMR in contributing to the event’s discussions. The event also serves as an opportunity for him to share some of the key findings from the AMR Programme’s recently published report on antimicrobial research and development, which focuses on the importance of access and stewardship planning in ensuring newly developed medicines that can overcome drug-resistant infections reach patients in LMICs.

About GARDP and SECURE 

GARDP is a not-for-profit organisation formed by WHO and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). Its SECURE initiative seeks to expand access to a portfolio of essential antibiotics, including generic antibiotics that are not widely available and newly approved “reserve” antibiotics, particularly for drug-resistant bacterial infections.