March 2022

NEWSLETTER OF THE FRENCH NATIONAL
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PORTAL

©Antoine ANDREMONT

Editorial • Antoine ANDREMONT Dr., MD., PhD. Emeritus professor, University Paris-Diderot Medical School, Paris.

More than ever in 2022, the fight against antimicrobial resistance will have to call upon keyplayers who do not regularly interact. How to bring them together, or at least how to get them to know each other better remained an open question for many years, to which an answer has not yet been found. It is a multi-faceted task for which constant efforts are required. In this regard, the National Antibiotic Resistance Portal is neccessarypowerful tool that brings an important added value.

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IN THE SPOTLIGHT

• A timely reality check on silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance: two must-read articles published by The Lancet Journal
  Two sound articles have been issued this week in The Lancet, reminding us that the worst might has yet to come regarding the lurking threat of a bacterial pandemic, and emphasising the importance of addressing antimicrobial resistance without delay, at a global level. Both publications, « Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019: a systematic analysis” and “The overlooked pandemic of antimicrobial resistance”, have already been cited in numerous journals and media around the world.
• 5 Inserm’s movies on antibiotic resistance
  During the national conference on antibiotic resistance, organised by Inserm on november 22th, 2021 in Aubervilliers (France), 5 short documentaries were broadcasted. These videos, produced by the company La Jolie Prod, are available on our website.
• A new portal to centralise calls for research projects
  The French National Research Agency (ANR), Inserm, and their partners have launched appelsprojetsrecherche.fr, a portal that centralises their calls for projects. Following the new law on research programming, approved in december 2020, the French government committed to simplify the process of seeking funding for public laboratories. This led on October 07^th, 2021, to the launch of this new portal, which provides access to all information related to calls for proposals from Inserm and five other major French research organisations.
• Third action of the Priority Research Programme: 2 projects led in partnership with low and middle income countries and supported with a funding of € 1M€
  Within the framework of the Priority Research Programme on Antibiotic Resistance, a budget of €1.5M has been dedicated to the structuring and coordination of a network on antibiotic resistance in partnership with low and middle income countries. The collaborative work of the AMR-Sud network has led to the structuring of two complementary research projects, which will be carried out in Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Ivory Coast and Madagascar. These two projects focus on the transmission factors of antibiotic resistance in various habitats and environments (CircUs) and on the economic and social factors of antimicrobial resistance (RAMSES).
• Report on the first meeting of the WHO Scientific Advisory Panel on the origins of new pathogens
  The WHO Scientific Advisory Group on the Origins of New Pathogens (SAGO) held its first meeting, with the appointment of the Chairman (Dr. Marietjie Venter, South Africa) and Vice Chairman (Dr. Jean-Claude Manuguerra, France) on the agenda. The group agreed to meet regularly to study the emergence of new pathogens, and to evaluate the current understanding of the origins of SARS-CoV-2.
• Parliament sides with Commission to approve controversial new antimicrobials rules
  The European Parliament has given its green light to a controversial new antimicrobial’s regulation, dismissing a motion calling for tighter restrictions on antibiotic use in animals and allowing the Commission to move forward on its plans to tackle anti-microbial resistance.
  Lawmakers gave their blessing to the Commission’s delegated act on Thursday 16 September, which is designed to tackle the burgeoning issue of anti-microbial resistance.

BIOTECH CORNER

• Entasis Therapeutics announces positive topline results for sulbactam-durlobactam (SUL-DUR) from Phase 3 ATTACK trial
  Entasis Therapeutics Holdings Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel antibacterial products, announced topline results from its ATTACK trial, a global Phase 3 registrational trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of SUL-DUR versus colistin in patients with infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii.
• GSK divests antibiotics business to Sandoz
  Sandoz, the generics branch of Novartis, announced on Monday that it has completed the acquisition of GlaxoSmithKline's cephalosporin antibiotics business, a move designed to strengthen its position as the world's leading antibiotic company. The deal includes global rights to three brands (Zinnat, Zinacef and Fortum) in more than 100 countries, producing annual revenues of $140 million approximately.
• Hologic launches Novodiag® system for on-demand infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance diagnostic testing
  Hologic, Inc. announced the broad European launch of its Novodiag® System, a fully automated molecular diagnostic solution for on-demand infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance testing. The Novodiag system combines real-time PCR and microarray testing. It allows for the rapid identification of multiple pathogens in a single sampleof high-risk patients.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND CONFERENCES IN 2022

• 6^th AMR Conference, April 7-8, 2022, Basel, Switzerland
• 4^th SPILF INFECTIO-DPC Seminar: Implementing a programme of Good Use of Anti-infectives, November 24-25, 2022, Paris
• ICAAAR 2023: International Conference on Antimycobacterials, Antimicrobial Activity and Resistance, June 03-04, 2023 in Rome, Italy

• Do you wish to submit a news item, a job offer or a scientific publication, or join our online directory of the scientists and key players in the fight against antimicrobial resistance in France? Write to us at: ppr-antibioresistance.i3m@inserm.fr

Director of publication: Gilles BLOCH, CEO of Inserm
Assistant Publishing Director: Évelyne JOUVIN-MARCHE
Editorial board: Émilie NOGUEZ, Erica TELFORD
Communication manager: Myriem BELKACEM
Production: mlcom.fr