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AMR

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Enhancing antimicrobial stewardship through pharmacy across the Commonwealth

Antimicrobial Resistance 

Antimicrobial medicines include antifungals, antibiotics, antiparasitics and antivirals. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microorganisms like bacteria that cause infection and disease adapt to resist their effect. One of the main causes of AMR is the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial medications in human health, animals and the environment. By 2050 it is predicted that more people will die of AMR related causes than Cancer, making it an urgent crisis. On the 21st of September 2016, 193 countries of the United Nations agreed a landmark declaration to rid the world of superbugs. Without global action it is conceivable that simple infections could soon become entirely untreatable with existing antimicrobials. Pharmacists play a crucial role in the fight to tackle AMR. 

A global action plan on AMR 

Endorsed at the World Health Assembly in May 2015, this plan aims to ensure the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases with safe and effective medicines continues, based on five strategic objectives:

  1. To improve awareness and understanding of AMR
  2. To strengthen surveillance and research
  3. To reduce the incidence of infection
  4. To optimize the use of antimicrobial medicines
  5. To ensure sustainable investment in countering antimicrobial resistance

The CPA leads on advocacy with governments globally across the Commonwealth countries and in partnership with several organisations to increase engagement and support for pharmacists to tackle AMR in their own countries

Diane Ashiru-Oredope, CPA Global AMR Lead

The CPA partnerships to tackle AMR

AMR is today’s problem and it needs to be top of everyone’s agendas. This is not an easy issue to solve; increasing awareness of AMR and optimising the use of antibiotics are only part of the solution, but everyone can all a play a part, no matter how small.

The Commonwealth spirit would encourage us to commit to work together and share the tools, resources and expertise that we have to support all our nations in developing and delivering an effective action plan to tackle this issue.

commonwealth partnerships for antimicrobial stewardship programmes

12 health partnerships between UK NHS teams and their counterparts in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia formed to support AMS initiatives to tackle AMR
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Surveillance and Prescribing Support for Antimicrobial Stewardship Resource Capacity Building

The Surveillance and Prescribing Support for Antimicrobial Stewardship Resource Capacity Building (SPARC)
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antibiotic guardian award winner

The Commonwealth Pharmacists Association and Tropical Health and Education Trust won the Antibiotic Guardian Multicountry Collaboration Award for creating the CwPAMS scheme
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CPHOGH FELLOWS

Sixteen pharmacists volunteering as part of CwPAMS successfully graduate as the first cohort of the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England’s Global Health Fellows
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BEAT BAD MICROBES, RWANDA

The CPA partnered with the University of Reading and the Rwanda Community Pharmacists Union to produce educational resources and tools for community pharmacists to help educate the public on AMR
Read more

Publications

Publications featuring
the CPA and CwPAMS

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CPD Platform

CPD resources for pharmacists in the Commonwealth

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Events

Launch of CPA-FIP Joint Webinar Series: AMS In Action

December 1, 2022

Recordings From The CPA-FIP Joint Webinar Series About The Webinars We are pleased share recordings from the webinars we hosted in partnership with The International

Launch of CPA-FIP Joint Webinar Series: AMS In Action

October 7, 2022

Launch of CPA-FIP Joint Webinar Series: AMS In Action About The Webinars We are pleased to announce that in partnership with The International Pharmaceutical Federation

Event: CHOGM Rwanda 2022

August 8, 2022

CHOGM Rwanda 2022  Leaders of Commonwealth countries meet every two years for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) The 2022  Commonwealth Heads of Government

The CPA and Novartis partner to support pharmacists

November 3, 2021

The Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA) and Novartis partner to support pharmacists About The Partnership London, United Kingdom (8th November 2021). The Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA) and

News

Join our expert panel of CwPAMS grant assessors

November 22, 2022

Join our expert panel of CwPAMS grant assessors The Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS) is a health partnership programme funded by the UK aid

Meet The New CPA President, Vice President, Councillors, and Regionals Representatives

October 14, 2022

Meet The New CPA President, Vice President, Councillors, and Regionals Representatives Following the recent CPA elections, we are pleased to announce our new Councillors, President,

CwPAMS 2 (2022-2025) – Applications are now open

September 1, 2022

CwPAMS 2 Programme (2022 – 2025) Applications are open until the 15th of December 2022 The Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) and the Commonwealth

The CPA Newsletter – Q2

July 7, 2022

Welcome to the roundup of our latest news. We hope you enjoy hearing about our latest work and activities.

Blog

Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance In Bangladesh: The Pharmacists’ Story

November 25, 2022

Fighting Antimicrobial Resistance In Bangladesh: The Pharmacists’ Story World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2022 Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rapidly growing health crisis with severe repercussions

Blog: CPA advocacy at the Commonwealth People’s Forum 2022

August 8, 2022

CPA advocacy at the Commonwealth People’s Forum (CHOGM 2022) The theme for CHOGM 2022 was ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.’  In the second of

Blog: CPA raising the profile of Pharmacy at CHOGM 2022

August 8, 2022

CPA raising the profile of pharmacy at CHOGM 2022 The theme for CHOGM 2022 was ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.’  In the first of

Blog: Sharing and learning about antimicrobial stewardship from eight African countries

July 11, 2022

Sharing and learning about antimicrobial stewardship from eight African countries    Outcomes from a CwPAMS Extension Sharing and Learning Event  On the 30th of June 2022,

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