bioMerieux Honored to Participate in the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship
First White House forum to coordinate solutions to address growing public health crisis of antibiotic and antimicrobial resistance
DURHAM, N.C., June 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- bioMérieux, a world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics, has been invited to join the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship for the improvement of antibiotic use in the U.S. as a means to address antibiotic resistance. Over 150 major experts from various sectors, will gather tomorrow, June 2, 2015, to discuss the possible ways to implement changes over the next five years to slow the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and prevent the spread of resistant infections and preserve the efficacy of our existing antibiotics.
Growing concerns over antibiotic resistance prompted President Obama to announce the Administration's five-year plan to combat this growing public health threat earlier this year. Over-use and inappropriate use of antibiotics, in both humans and animals, has led to the rise of antibiotic resistance which makes common infections increasingly difficult to prevent and treat.
bioMérieux, a world leader in microbiology, has been historically committed to the fight against antimicrobial resistance through its pioneering diagnostic solutions. With speed and precision, bioMérieux's tests identify the pathogens responsible for the full range of infections. They help make it possible to provide targeted, adjusted and specific therapies—only when necessary—avoiding the administration of broad-spectrum or unnecessary antibiotics.
Representing bioMérieux at the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship will be Mark Miller, MD, FRCPC, Chief Medical Officer of bioMérieux. The opening session of the Antibiotic Stewardship Forum will stream live at whitehouse.gov/live on Tuesday June 2nd at 8 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. EDT.
Other bioMérieux's initiatives in antimicrobial resistance:
The Company recently launched the My Role Matters campaign which calls upon all the United States healthcare, animal, pharmaceutical and product safety professionals, government officials, as well as the community at large, to understand the impact their role can play in halting the increase and spread of antimicrobial resistant pathogens and promoting appropriate antimicrobial use.
bioMérieux also has made major contributions to raise awareness and to initiate and support educational activities in the field of antimicrobial resistance. The "BE S.M.A.R.T. WITH RESISTANCE™" global initiative was launched by bioMérieux in 2010 to raise awareness through a diversity of communication resources including newsletters, a website, educational booklets, videos and posters targeting clinicians, microbiologists, patients, and the general public.
In 2007, bioMérieux launched the "World HAI/Resistance Forum," which every two years brings together over 60 world-leading experts in human and animal health, to discuss the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria and to propose concrete actions for decision-makers. One of those actions has been bioMérieux's unrestricted support of the Global Point Prevalence Survey (PPS), undertaken in April of this year in collaboration with the University of Antwerp, which measured the extent of antibiotic-resistant infections and antibiotic use on a worldwide scale.
The 5th World HAI/resistance Forum will take place June 14-16, 2015 on the theme: "Antimicrobial resistance: One World – One Fight!". Interim results of the PPS project will be presented and discussed at this meeting, as well as methods for reinforcing education about controlling and preventing worldwide antibiotic resistance.
About bioMérieux:
Pioneering Diagnostics
A world leader in the field of in vitro diagnostics for 50 years, bioMérieux is present in more than 150 countries through 42 subsidiaries and a large network of distributors. In 2014, revenues reached €1.698 billion with 88% of sales outside of France.
bioMérieux provides diagnostic solutions (reagents, instruments, software) which determine the source of disease and contamination to improve patient health and ensure consumer safety. Its products are used for diagnosing infectious diseases and providing high medical value results for cancer screening and monitoring and cardiovascular emergencies. They are also used for detecting microorganisms in agri-food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
Other information can be found at www.biomerieux-usa.com
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SOURCE bioMerieux, Inc.
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