Listen to the Antibiotic Alarm During World AMR Awareness Week

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most urgent global health threats of our time. AMR occurs when microorganisms evolve to withstand antimicrobial treatments that previously killed them or inhibited their growth. Among these medicines, antibiotics are the most widely used – and the most endangered. Every year from 18 to 24 November, the world marks World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW), a WHO-mandated global campaign aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of AMR.

The theme for WAAW 2025 – “Act Now: Protect Our Present, Secure Our Future” – highlights an essential truth: AMR is not a problem of tomorrow. It is already harming our health systems, food production, environment and economies today.

Why World AMR Awareness Week Matters

According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA):

• 35,000 people die every year in Europe due to infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

• Without effective action, the number of annual deaths could rise to 390,000 by 2050.

Another critical challenge is the lack of new antibiotics. Between 2015 and 2024, only 32 antimicrobials were approved in the EU – less than 4% of all marketing authorisation recommendations made during the same period. As a result, the pipeline of new effective antibiotics is alarmingly small.

Although resistance occurs naturally through mutations and genetic exchange, misuse and overuse of antibiotics dramatically accelerate the development of resistant strains. This includes inappropriate prescribing, using antibiotics for viral infections, incomplete treatment courses, and misuse in agriculture.

This is precisely where pharmacovigilance plays a crucial role.

The Role of Pharmacovigilance in Combating AMR

Pharmacovigilance is traditionally associated with detecting and evaluating adverse drug reactions. However, in the context of AMR, its scope and impact extend far beyond safety monitoring. Pharmacovigilance plays a vital role in the success of World AMR Awareness Week, as it provides the data and insights necessary to understand how antibiotics are used in the real world – and how misuse accelerates resistance.

1. Detecting Misuse and Inappropriate Use of Antibiotics

Spontaneous reports, case series, and pharmacovigilance signals frequently reveal patterns such as:

• use of antibiotics without proper indication;

• excessive or repeated courses of broad-spectrum agents;

• antibiotic use for viral infections (e.g., in upper respiratory infections);

• incorrect dosing regimens or treatment duration.

Each report contributes to a clearer understanding of how real-world practices fuel resistance.

2. Literature Monitoring to Detect Emerging Resistance

Medical literature remains one of the strongest early warning systems for detecting the early signs of antimicrobial resistance. 

By systematically monitoring both global and local literature, pharmacovigilance specialists can uncover and interpret real-world trends:

• new resistant pathogens or increases in resistance in specific regions;

• local prescribing trends, such as excessive use of certain antibiotics in hospitals or community settings;

• patterns of inappropriate use documented in regional publications;

• unexpected adverse reactions linked to antibiotics, which may signal improper dosing, drug interactions, or treatment misuse;

• clinical treatment failures in local case reports, often the first indication that resistance is growing;

• changes in therapeutic practices, such as the off-label use of antibiotics, as reported in national journals.

How Local Literature Shapes AMR Monitoring

Local literature is critical because resistance often emerges unevenly across regions. Early signals frequently appear in local clinical reports long before they are captured in global surveillance systems. Monitoring these sources helps pharmacovigilance specialists act quickly, communicate emerging risks, and support timely regulatory action.

Tools like DrugCard enhance this process by scanning both international and local literature, helping PV specialists stay ahead of resistance trends – a core goal of World AMR Awareness Week.

3. Supporting Benefit-Risk Re-Evaluation of Antibiotics

When resistance reduces the effectiveness of an antibiotic, this becomes a factor in its ongoing benefit–risk assessment.

Pharmacovigilance provides essential real-world data that support decisions to revise indications, restrict unnecessary use, amend dosing recommendations, add warnings or precautions to product information.

4. Enabling Timely Regulatory Action

Pharmacovigilance findings often inform regulatory decisions aimed at reducing the misuse of medications.

A recent example in Europe concerns azithromycin, where regulatory authorities updated the drug’s indications to address concerns about its role in promoting AMR.

We discussed this case in detail in our blog article “Updated Drug Indications Aim to Curb Antimicrobial Resistance.”

Conclusion

World AMR Awareness Week reminds us that antimicrobial resistance is not a distant threat – it is a present and growing crisis. The theme “Act Now” is a call for immediate and coordinated action across all sectors.

Pharmacovigilance is central to this mission. By detecting misuse, analysing literature, identifying emerging resistance, and guiding regulatory decisions, PV professionals help protect the effectiveness of antibiotics and safeguard future generations.