Brussels, 18 November 2020 - Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is a major global health concern that puts in jeopardy the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections as well as modern medicine.

The good news is that tools and solutions to tackle AMR and Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are already available to support patient care throughout the patient pathway. Medical technologies can help prevent, diagnose and control infections, as well as support an appropriate antimicrobial therapy and stop the spread of resistant bacteria throughout the patient pathway. Through these solutions, we can reduce the need for antibiotics and avoid their misuse in the first place.

MedTech Europe, the European trade association representing the medical technology industries (in vitro diagnostics and medical devices) works towards getting these tools to patients and healthcare professionals as rapidly as possible and towards raising awareness about the importance of prevention.

In the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the findings of recent literature research have demonstrated widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics from patients with COVID-19 (~72%)¹. On the contrary, the observed rate of co-infections with bacterial or fungal organisms is significantly lower (8%)².

The Co-Chairs of MedTech Europe’s AMR/HAI Infection Prevention and Control Working Group, Dr. Goran Ribaric and Dr. Claude Mabilat have stressed that “The full impact that the overuse of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the correlated antimicrobial resistance remains unclear and still needs to be documented.”

Since 2016, MedTech Europe has been working increasingly with other European organisations, Member States’ health attaches and our own network of national associations to contribute to the ongoing discussions at EU level regarding the prevention and tackling of AMR and HAIs. To this end, we have recently published a position paper on the role of medical technologies in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and healthcare association infections (see our position paper).

MedTech Europe believes that coordinated efforts by all relevant stakeholders are crucial in the fight against AMR and HAIs. We remain committed to continue working without silos with stakeholders from both the public and private sector, and the civil society to tackle this health challenge. Therefore, we participate in the AMR Stakeholder Network under the auspices of the European Commission’s Health Policy Platform and we also engage as a stakeholder in the EU Joint Action on AMR and HAIs, a coordinated European initiative to develop and implement effective One Health policies.

MedTech Europe will continue working closely with its members and partners so that the fight against AMR and HAIs remains a political priority for the European Institutions as well as Member States in the ‘new normal’.

1. Timothy M Rawson et aL. 2020, Bacterial and Fungal Coinfection in Individuals With Coronavirus: A Rapid Review To Support COVID-19 Antimicrobial Prescribing, Clinical Infectious Diseases
2. Ibid.