Urgent call for better use of existing vaccines and development of new vaccines to tackle AMR

The World Health Organization today released the first report on a line of vaccines currently under development to prevent infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) pathogenic bacteria. WHO analysis points to the need to accelerate AMR-related vaccine trials in late-stage development and maximize use of existing vaccines.

The silent antimicrobial resistance pandemic is a major growing public health concern. Resistant bacterial infections alone are associated with nearly 4.95 million deaths per year, with 1.27 million deaths directly attributable to AMR. But AMR is more than just a bacterial infection. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medications. When a person is infected with these microbes, the infection is said to be resistant to antimicrobial drugs. These infections are often difficult to treat.

Vaccines are a powerful tool for preventing infection in the first place, and therefore have the potential to curb the spread of AMR infections. The AMR vaccine pipeline report aims to guide investment and research into viable vaccines to reduce AMR.

The analysis identified sixty-one vaccine candidates in various stages of clinical development, including several in the late stages of development to address diseases listed on the list of priority pathogenic bacteria, which WHO has prioritized for R&D. While the report describes these late-stage vaccine candidates as having high development viability, it warns that most will not be available anytime soon.

“Prevent infection using vaccination reduces the use of antibiotics, which is one of the main drivers of AMR. However, of the top six bacterial pathogens responsible for AMR deaths, only one, Pneumococci disease (Streptococcus pneumoniae) has a vaccine” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Assistant Director-General, Antimicrobial Resistance. “Affordable and equitable access to life-saving vaccines such as the pneumococcal vaccine, is urgently needed to save lives, and reduce the rise in AMR” he added.

The report calls for equitable and global access to existing vaccines, especially among populations who need them most in resource-limited settings. There are already vaccines available against four priority bacterial pathogens: pneumococcal disease (Streptococcus pneumoniae), hib (Haemophilus influenzae) type b) Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) and typhoid fever (Salmonella Typhi). The current Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine against tuberculosis (TB) does not adequately protect against TB and the development of a more effective vaccine against TB should be accelerated. The remaining three vaccines are effective, and we need to increase the number of people receiving them to contribute to reducing antibiotic use and preventing further deaths.

Crucial in the global fight against AMR, bacteria listed on the priority pathogen list pose a significant threat to public health precisely because of their resistance to antibiotics – but they currently have a very weak vaccine pipeline in terms of candidate numbers and eligibility. . Vaccines against these pathogens are unlikely to be available in the short term, and alternative interventions must be instituted urgently to prevent resistant infections due to priority pathogenic bacteria.

“Disruptive approaches are needed to enrich pathways and accelerate vaccine development. Lessons from Covid-19 vaccine development and mRNA vaccines offer unique opportunities to be explored in developing vaccines against bacteria said Dr Haileyesus Getahun, Director of WHO’s AMR Global Coordination Department.

The report examines some of the challenges facing vaccine innovation and development, including pathogens associated with hospital-acquired infection (HAI). These include difficulties in determining the target population among all hospitalized patients; the cost and complexity of vaccine efficacy trials; and the lack of regulatory and/or policy precedent for vaccines against HAI.

“Vaccine development is expensive, and scientifically challenging, often with a high failure rate, and for successful candidates, complex regulatory and manufacturing requirements take longer. We must draw on the lessons learned from COVID vaccine development and accelerate our search for a vaccine to tackle AMR.” said Dr Kate O’Brien, Director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biology at WHO.

The full report can be read here.

#Urgent #call #existing #vaccines #development #vaccines #tackle #AMR