To preserve antibiotic effectiveness, the animal health industry believes the whole animal health sector – both public and private – must devote more investment, research and energy into three priority areas:

Prevention

Disease prevention is our first line of defence and the best way to reduce the need for antibiotics.

Preventing disease outbreaks involves three key elements: vaccination, biosecurity, and overall health and wellbeing. Vaccines are one of the most effective forms of prevention available while biosecurity measures, such as sanitizing equipment or indoor rearing of certain species, can limit bacteria exposure. Strengthening the overall health of an animal also improves their natural resilience against infection and ability to fight off disease, reducing the need for antibiotics.

Improving prevention requires commitments to:

Vaccination

  • Improve access to veterinarians and/or paraprofessionals, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), who can administer vaccinations
  • Government funds for vaccination available to farms, especially in LMICs
  • Improve vaccine availability in underserved markets
  • Improve the regulatory route for existing vaccines, especially in LMICs
  • Enact clear regulations for new types of vaccines
  • Deliver new vaccines
  • Improve the acceptance of GM/biotech vaccinations
  • Strengthen cold chain transportation and the availability of heat-resistant vaccines

Biosecurity

  • Increase government funding for farm facilities
  • Train animal handlers on good biosecurity practices
  • Improve consumer understanding of biosecurity benefits
  • Train animal handlers on the cost/benefit of various biosecurity measures
  • Increase funding for research on biosecurity practices and adoption

Overall health and wellbeing

  • Develop and improve access to in-feed nutritional products
  • Develop and improve access to immunostimulants
  • Increase research into animal genetics
  • Increase public funding for animal nutrition research

Disease threats and veterinary access vary around the world but sharing information can help treat and contain an outbreak before it spreads.

Early detection of disease can make all the difference in treatment success, allowing for selection of the most appropriate antibiotic from the outset and reducing the risk of the illness spreading throughout herds or flocks.

This relies on two important elements: monitoring and diagnostics. Monitoring can help identify disease threats before an outbreak takes hold and track any emergence of antibiotic resistance, while swift and accurate diagnostics can help ensure appropriate treatment is given at the earliest possible opportunity.

Improving detection levels will require commitments to:

Monitoring

  • Improve disease tracking and data collection
  • Increase training of veterinarians and/or paraprofessionals on disease identification
  • Improve access to veterinarians and/or paraprofessionals in LMICs
  • Increase public funding for disease monitoring
  • Continue to share antibiotic sales volume data in markets where it is required
  • Monitor antibiotic use levels where appropriate
  • Monitor AMR levels in food and animals
  • Increase research on AMR transfer pathways and the role of the environment

Diagnostics

  • Bring new diagnostics to market that can identify disease more rapidly and accurately
  • Define legal requirements for farm data protection
  • Increase training of veterinarians and/or paraprofessonals on diagnostics tools
  • Integrate diagnostics with treatments to allow for rapid identification and care

When an animal contracts a bacterial infection, there is currently no viable alternative to antibiotics.

For the times when antibiotic use is necessary, we must support responsible use. This means the right antibiotic, at the right time, at the right dose, administered through the right route.

Improving treatment requires commitments to:

Responsible antibiotic use

  • Increase training of veterinarians and/or paraprofessionals on responsible antibiotic use
  • Improve access to veterinarians and/or paraprofessionals in LMICs
  • Increase veterinary supervision of antibiotic use in LMICs
  • Improve understanding of the role of antibiotics in animal care
  • Strict enforcement of existing antibiotic use requirements, especially in LMICs
  • Foster greater dialogue across the value chain (e.g. suppliers, farmers, vets) on responsible use

Achieving progress under the three pillars of this vision will require dedicated action both by the animal medicines industry and the wider animal and public health sector, which includes governments, international authorities and the private sector.

Introduction
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