The Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance (JPIAMR) is organising a series of webinars to highlight and clarify the importance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic and future viral pandemics.
The burden of AMR is likely to increase due to the escalated use of antibiotics to treat bacterial co-infections in COVID-19 patients. Effective treatment of patients in the current and future virus pandemics requires both better and faster diagnostics to confirm bacterial (co-)infection and antibiotic susceptibility and a choice of alternative antibiotics for those, potentially resistant, bacterial co-infections.
Many AMR research areas are interlinked with COVID-19 research and both fields could cross-benefit from synergies and collaboration on data collection but AMR researchers need access to patient data, samples, scientific instruments, laboratory resources and research funding, of which the availability is likely to be prioritised for projects focused on COVID-19 research.
In the webinars world-leading researchers and clinicians discuss the prevalence of bacterial co-infections, best practise and appropriate use of antibiotics, and opportunities and challenges for AMR research in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Antibiotic Use: Have antibiotics been appropriately used in the COVID-19 pandemic?
Date and time: June 25, 13.00-14.00 CEST
Moderator: Jesús Rodriguez Baño (ES)
Panellists: Gian Maria Rossolini (IT), Constance Schultsz (NL), Evelina Tacconelli (IT), Srinivas Murthy (CA), Norio Ohmagari (JP) and Alison Holmes (UK)
AMR Research: Facilitating AMR research in the COVID-19 pandemic
Date and time: June 25, 14.30-15.30 CEST
Moderator: Till Bachmann (UK)
Panellists: Rafael Canton (ES), Adam Roberts (UK), Birgitta Henriques Normark (SE), Neil Clancy (US), George Haringhuizen (NL) and Benedikt Huttner (WHO)
Dedicated registration link here.