EMA Focuses on Antibiotic Resistance: A Future Global Threat?

The September meeting of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Patient and Consumer Working Party (PCWP) focused on a topic that is becoming an urgent public health concern: antimicrobial resistance. An information session on AMR was held on 19 September, jointly with the Healthcare Professionals Working Party (HCPWP).

EMA representatives explained that the emergence and increase of microbes resistant to treatments is a global concern and poses the risk that treatments for infectious diseases may become ineffective. Tackling resistance is a high priority for the EMA, and there has been high interest from the working parties to gain an understanding of current initiatives and exchange ideas on how to join efforts for better communication, education and training.

Treatments for infectious diseases soon ineffective?

The meeting was the opportunity to listen to experts from the European Commission, the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which runs an annual European Antibiotic Awareness Day of which EPF is a partner again this year.

A video recording of the entire meeting available on the EMA website. The presentations are also available for download.

Update from the Working parties plenary

The following day, 20 September, the two working parties met for a joint plenary. They discussed  the first pharmacovigilance public hearing that was to take place on 26 September;

the work plans for 2018/19; the mandates and rules of procedure of the working parties; and a proposal for streamlining the re-assessment of eligibility status.

The group also heard about compassionate use of medicines and discussed potential actions following the European Commission’s recent report on product information.

Documents from the meeting will be published on the EMA website.

Background information

The EMA PCWP is a platform for exchanges and activities between representatives of patients and consumers organisations and the EMA. The party is co-chaired by EPF Director of Policy, Kaisa Immonen.

More information:

• On how the EMA engages with patients and carers, see here
• On what it takes to become an eligible patient organisation with the EMA, see here
• For training materials about the EMA, see here; and here for a series of videos called “EMA basics”

Contact person: Kaisa Immonen, Director of Policy, kaisa.immonen@eu-patient.eu