Global CDMO Recipharm has announced that it is joining the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Industry Alliance as part of its ambition to contribute to exploring solutions to tackle growing concerns around antimicrobial resistance.
The AMR Industry Alliance is one of the largest coalitions set up to provide sustainable solutions to curb AMR. The alliance was established in 2017 by the Internation Federations of Pharmaceutical Manufactures and Associations (IFPMA). With over 100 members, including biotechnology, diagnostics, generics and pharmaceutical research organisations and associations, the alliance facilitates collaboration and informs external stakeholders about new developments in the field of AMR.
Recipharm's membership is the latest step in the company's ongoing efforts to engage with other organisations working to tackle AMR.
Erik Haeffler, VP of Manufacturing Services and Head of Sustainability at Recipharm said: "AMR is currently one of the most serious health concerns worldwide."
Haeffler explained that as Recipharm manufactures antibiotics in Sweden, Italy and India it's important to the company that it gets involved in developing solutions to combat AMR.
Recipharm is also involved in other AMR initiatives, PLATINEA led by Uppsala University and the REAP project
"Joining the AMR Industry Alliance was the next natural step for us to take our work on AMR to the next level and allow us to engage with other stakeholders on the subject," Haeffler added.
As well as joining the AMR Industry Alliance, Recipharm is also involved in a number of other initiatives focused on AMR. For example, the multisector collaboration platform, PLATINEA led by Uppsala University designed to find ways to preserve and enhance the value of existing antibiotics and the Reducing Emissions from Antibiotic Production (REAP) project which was launched at World Water Week 2019 in Stockholm by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).
Steve Brooks, Chair of the Manufacturing Working Group at the AMR Industry Alliance said: "We welcome Recipharm as a new member of the alliance. In recent years we've seen more and more companies recognising and addressing AMR and we're delighted to see a leading CDMO like Recipharm committing to the objectives of the AMR Industry Alliance, including minimising antibiotic emissions from the manufacturing supply chain".
AMR is recognised as a serious industry concern. The WHO, G7, G20 and many world leaders have acknowledged the growing dangers AMR presents and have called for concerted action from all relevant parties to work on solutions and their implementation.
Haeffler continued: "The alliance also presents us with a framework for reducing the environmental risk of manufacturing antibiotics using risk assessments and a list of science-driven discharge concentration targets."