Joint press release by the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
Fewer and fewer antibiotics are available for an increasing number of
infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. As a result, it is
becoming increasingly difficult to treat infected patients successfully.
The Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg and the German
National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina addressed this issue in their
joint statement, “Antibiotics Research: Problems and Perspectives” in
January 2013. The paper is now available in English, just in time when
the topic is on the agenda of the G8 summit. The academies list eight
recommendations that show ways to prevent the further spread of
antibiotic resistance and to develop urgently needed antibiotics.
“This development is a cause for grave concern. Our statement focuses
on the contribution by research and on the necessary parameters in
society,” said Professor Ansgar W. Lohse, spokesperson for the Working
Group on Infection Research and Society at the Academy of Sciences and
Humanities in Hamburg. “We need genuine incentives for new and more
intensive antibiotic research so we can develop medications more
quickly,” he added.
“This field is a task for society as a whole,” said Professor Jörg
Hacker, President of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.
“Society does not only need greater research efforts and a faster
translation of the findings into applications, but also dialogue on how
antibiotics can be used responsibly and on how resistance can be
prevented. We are setting up a round table on this topic and will invite
all the relevant partners to join it.”
The Leopoldina recently called on the heads of state and government
of the G8 member states to focus their attention on the topic of
drug-resistant infectious agents. In partnership with other academies
the Leopoldina provided the statement “Drug Resistance in Infectious
Agents – A Global Threat to Humanity” which was handed to the
participating governments in order to be incorporated into the
negotiations of the G8 summit which starts today in Lough Erne, Northern
Ireland.
According to the WHO, the global occurrence of antibiotic resistance
poses one of the greatest threats to human health. It is estimated that
around 25,000 patients die each year in the EU alone from an infection
with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
You can download the full statement “Antibiotics Research: Problems
and Perspectives” at: http://www.leopoldina.org/en/publications/detailview/?publication[publication]=475&cHash=1883f73140e3cc069425f3e234281083
The G-Science-Statement “Drug Resistance in Infectious Agents – A
Global Threat to Humanity” is available here:
http://www.leopoldina.org/en/international-issues/international-statements/g8-statements/