Taking things seriously: Tackling AMR & serialisation
AMR is back in the news (is it ever out?) and with good reason. The World Health Organisation has published a list of drug-resistant bacteria thought to pose the biggest threat to human health.
The list will be discussed at the G20 Summit this summer, and once again we’ll see the usual flurry of media attention as AMR comes back into the public consciousness. But the publicity is important, after all, it’s not a problem that’s going anywhere fast, and the more hands to the pump, the better.
When the G20 last discussed AMR, back in September last year, it tasked the World Health Organisation with highlighting potential solutions to the problem, and report back in 2017.
Drawing up a list may not seem like such a significant leap – after all, it’s already well known which infections cause the most concern for the healthcare sector.
But perhaps by formalising the problem, and applying some structure of sorts, WHO has taken an important step in getting AMR onto more governmental agendas worldwide – which is the stated aim of publishing the list. It’s a sign that the international community is taking the so called ‘antibiotic apocalypse’ more seriously.
In other news, serialisation continues to be a race to the finish. In fact, if I were to theme every issue, I’d have to name this one the Serialisation Edition. We’ve had some fantastic contributions on the subject, and it’s clear that the challenges and hurdles haven’t yet gone away – but that the end result will make for a safer industry.
By 2020, the majority of the pharma universe will be fully ‘serialised’ so to speak, and hopefully without any casualties. But inevitably this coming period of change will prove more challenging for some suppliers than others. Fortunately there seems to be an abundance of expert guidance available.
Forgive me the terrible corporate speak, but the phrase ‘joined up thinking’ seems to be coming up a lot in the serialisation discussion, particularly where machinery OEMs are concerned.
In the case of pharmaceutical manufacturers that don’t currently have any serialisation solution that meets the necessary requirements, it’s probable that changes will need to be made company-wide, rather than just on the factory floor. Torben Vogt of Videojet Technologies goes into detail on this in his interview in this issue.
Despite the inherent challenges associated with serialisation, we also should remember the significant opportunities available to pharma sector companies – particularly those who take steps to go beyond the minimum requirements.
As a branding exercise, those who take serialisation more seriously could stand to benefit in a marketplace that increasingly favours diligence and rigorous standards.
If you’re a believer in the Big Data dream, you’ll also probably see tremendous potential in the power of serialisation to provide full transparency over supply chains, perhaps improving efficiencies and oiling the gears in the process. Indeed, serialisation may well hit quite a few birds with one stone.
And of course, let’s not forget the real beneficiary: the patient. Last month a Canadian teenager died after overdosing on the illegal drug fentanyl, with reports now surfacing that she believed she was taking prescription Percocet. The sooner we live in an age of genuine transparency, the better.