Op-ed: Active manufacturing responsibility and the other AMR

The op-ed underscores the stark reality of drug resistance, with 1.27 million deaths recorded in 2019 alone. The urgency lies not only in developing new antibiotics but also in ensuring wider access to existing ones, especially in regions facing access challenges where AMR is a pressing concern. The manufacturing of antibiotics itself can contribute to AMR, if antibiotic waste containing high levels of APIs is released into rivers and waterways used for drinking water or agriculture.

Verhoef and van Gerven argue that pharmaceutical companies must adopt responsible manufacturing practices to address the issue. They reference the Foundation's report on responsible manufacturing and share actionable steps pharmaceutical companies can take to limit the AMR risk in the production of antibiotics identified in the report.

For example, companies should comply with discharge limits in their wastewater before it is released into the environment, and should extend responsible manufacturing practices to their third-party suppliers. But beyond this, they should be transparent about their manufacturing practices - a much-needed step in assessing companies' impact comprehensively.

Verhoef and van Gerven assert that commitment to manufacture responsibly is becoming a business priority, with manufacturing becoming a keener focus for other stakeholders, including procurers and investors. They emphasise that scaling up access to antibiotics responsibly is possible, underlying the need to drive lasting and impactful change across the antibiotic supply chain.