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The Transatlantic Taskforce on Antimicrobial Resistance (TATFAR) will gather in Atlanta, Georgia tomorrow for a three-day meeting to discuss how to strengthen partnerships in the fight against AMR. The meeting, hosted by the USA Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), will bring together representatives from the four TATFAR members – the EU, USA, Canada and Norway - the WHO, and other partners from academia, industry, and Non-governmental organisations. The agenda covers:
- Improving antibiotic use in humans and animals
- Preventing infections and their spread
- Strengthening the drug pipeline
Xavier Prats Monné, Director General of DG Health & Food Safety, European Commission, will deliver an opening speech, highlighting the EU's commitment to join international efforts to tackle AMR, and presenting the new EU One Health Action Plan on AMR adopted in June 2017, which sets out over 70 actions, including a commitment to strengthen cooperation through TATFAR.
On his way to the USA, Mr Prats Monné, stressed "We need stronger international action on AMR because what makes sense globally also makes sense for us in Europe. TATFAR can become a role model to all actors in the fight against AMR, and I am determined that we maximise its potential. We are running out of time to address AMR before it gets out of hand. We need to respond firmly, decisively, urgently, and we need to do this together."
Discussions from the meeting will help develop the work programme for the second half of TATFAR's the implementation period (2018-2020).
Background
TATFAR was created in 2009 to improve cooperation between the EU and the USA to reduce the threat of antibiotic resistance (AMR). Canada and Norway joined in 2015. TATFAR has developed joint working on AMR involving the human health, animal health and research and development sectors, in three key areas:
- Improving appropriate therapeutic use of antimicrobial drugs in medical and veterinary communities
- Preventing healthcare and community-associated drug resistant infections
- Developing strategies for improving the pipeline of new antimicrobial drugs
The CDC currently serves as the secretariat for TATFAR, providing administrative support and maintaining the website for the Taskforce.
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