Groundbreaking Data-Sharing Initiative Launches to Increase Understanding of Antimicrobial Resistance

Leading pharmaceutical companies join Vivli's new global register to accelerate research into antibiotic resistant bacteria

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Antimicrobial Resistance Register, unveiled today by the nonprofit organization Vivli, makes it possible for biopharmaceutical companies to share susceptibility data on infection causing pathogens for the first time ever in one online platform, marking a critical step in combating the growing global health threat of antimicrobial resistance. With the active participation from leading pharmaceutical and biotech enterprises, researchers will be able to use the AMR Register to translate masses of antimicrobial resistance surveillance data into meaningful action that saves lives and preserves antibiotics for future generations.

Infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are on the rise after years of overprescribing antibiotics. Now, illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics are becoming more difficult to cure, and infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria cost billions in avoidable healthcare dollars. According to latest figures from the GRAM report, almost 5 million people died worldwide with an antimicrobial resistant infection. If left unchecked, the scale of antimicrobial resistance will quickly outpace what we have experienced with COVID-19, with deaths rising to 10 million per year by 2050, according to the United Nations.

Biopharmaceutical companies routinely conduct surveillance on all new antimicrobials to monitor susceptibility to pathogens of interest, generating large volumes of high-quality data. Currently, there is no easy way for researchers to access this raw data or combine and analyze multiple datasets from industry. The AMR register will make it easy for pharmaceutical organizations to securely share their data with researchers, national governments, and multi-lateral organizations such as the United Nations, CDC and the World Health Organization. With robust, reliable industry data, all accessible in one place, scientists will be able to better map key patterns of resistance and identify the emergence of new antibiotic resistant pathogens. Research insights will also inform decision-making around use of antimicrobials, shape policies aimed at halting the spread of resistant pathogens, and spur innovation around new antimicrobial drugs.

"Our understanding of how to control antimicrobial resistant infections and how best to protect human health hinges on better access to surveillance data. Now, with the AMR Register we have an early warning system for one of the greatest public health threats we face," said Chair of the AMR Register Scientific Advisory Board Marc Mendelson, PhD, Professor of Infectious Diseases and Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases & HIV Medicine at Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town. "Biopharmaceutical company data is a vital missing link in AMR surveillance, making the research enabled by the AMR register critical to mitigating the AMR pandemic and protecting the effectiveness of antibiotics, now and in the future."

Companies that have committed to contributing their data to the AMR Register include Pfizer, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Paratek, Shionogi & Co., Ltd., and Venatorx Pharmaceuticals. Viatris have joined as a supporter of the AMR register."

In 2016, over 100 biopharmaceutical companies and trade associations signed The Davos Declaration on Antibiotic Resistance and later released the Industry Roadmap for Progress on Combating Antimicrobial Resistance ahead of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) High-Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance, committing to sharing surveillance data to make it accessible to public health bodies and healthcare professionals. With the AMR Register, industry can now fulfill those commitments, helping contain the risk of AMR and advance scientific knowledge.

"We need urgent action to avert a wave of antibiotic-resistant bacteria," said Vivli's Executive Director Rebecca Li, PhD. "By making data openly available, industry is making a crucial contribution to furthering science and helping us get ahead of the next pandemic."

The AMR Register is guided by a Scientific Advisory Board of influential leaders in antimicrobial resistance and global health, including Henry Kajumbula, MD of Makerere University College of Health Sciences; Trudie Lang of the Nuffield Department of Medicine; Marc Mendelson, PhD, of Groote Schuur Hospital, University of Cape Town; Arjun Srinivasan, MD, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Janet Midega, PhD, from Wellcome; and Andy Stergachis, PhD, of the University of Washington. The AMR Register was made possible with an initial seed grant from the Wellcome Trust.

Learn more at www.amr.vivli.org

Vivli is a non-profit organization working to advance human health through the insights and discoveries gained by sharing and analyzing data. Data sharing initiatives include the Antimicrobial Resistance Register for AMR surveillance data and the Vivli Platform for clinical trial data. Vivli acts as a neutral broker between data contributor and data user and the wider data sharing community. For more information, visit www.vivli.org and follow us on Twitter @VivliCenter.

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Contact:
Rebecca Li
978.804.4980
[email protected]

SOURCE Vivli