2023

News

Release: ReAct Africa & South Centre Conference Report 2023!

The hybrid ReAct Africa & South Centre Conference held in August this year had an attendance of 156 physical participants from 38 countries, and totally reflecting registrations from 67 countries worldwide. The theme for the 3-day conference was:  “Leave No One Behind: Advancing One Health Antimicrobial Resistance National Action Plans Implementation in Africa”.

During World AMR Awareness Week ReAct Africa and South Centre release the report from

News

ReAct activities for World AMR Awareness Week 2023

In the context of World AMR Awareness week ReAct arranges and participates in a mix of events and engagements such as: empowering communities meeting, photo and video competition, online campaigns, student webinar, launch of videos, interviews, a call for real life stories, exhibitions and much much more. During the week ReAct increases its engagement with key actors such as: policy makers, communities and their leaders, health care givers, students and civil society organizations.

Online, ReAct also joins the World Health Organization “Go Blue for AMR” campaign. Click to find all ReAct World AMR Awareness Week activities!

News

Join ReAct webinar! AMR High-level Meeting 2024: Mobilizing Collective Action

Join us for the ReAct Webinar “AMR High-level Meeting 2024: Mobilizing Collective Action” on 9th of November! Right before World AMR Week! The webinar will feature highlights and learnings from the ReAct Report: Unlocking Barriers for Collective Action. You will also get the opportunity to take part of reflections from invited panelists.

OPINIONs

5 reasons why the European Transferable Exclusivity Voucher proposal should go in the bin

Earlier this year the European Commission released their proposal for revised rules on pharmaceuticals in the EU. Now they are being amended and negotiated both by the European Member States in the Council and in the European Parliament. One controversial provision that has been proposed to address the deep crisis in antibiotic research and development is the so-called “Transferable Exclusivity Voucher”. Here we argue why this proposal is the wrong way to go and will risk detracting time, resources and political interest from far more transformational alternatives on the table elsewhere.

News

Join React Latin America Empowered Communities Meeting Series in November!

Antibiotic resistance is a serious public health concern that affects humans, animals and the environment alike. Confronting this challenge is a task that involves all of society. For this reason, ReAct Latin America, PAHO and South Centre presents the “Empowered Communities Meeting Series to tackle AMR in Latin America and the Caribbean”.

The initiative aims to engage all sectors of society with a special focus on organized communities. On the 3rd of November ReAct Latin America will host an online celebration and meeting in honor of One Health Day, followed by virtual and physical meetings on the 15th, 16th and 17th of November. These meetings foster dialogue between diverse and hopeful voices from different perspectives with the same goal: to improve health for all. Learn more and register to join!

EVENT

Alforja Educativa launched in Brazil!

On 15th and 16th of June, students, community agents, health professionals and teachers from several municipalities in Brazil joined the launch of Alforja Educativa in Portuguese, this in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil.

event

ReAct Asia Pacific: Engaging youth on AMR

On August 4, 2023, ReAct Asia Pacific hosted a workshop for the ASPIC Student Clubs on the theme “Defining the Role of Youth and Communities in AMR Mitigation Efforts”. This workshop continued ReAct Asia Pacific efforts to engage youth in the issue of antibiotic resistance. The workshop was organized to build the capacity of ASPIC club (Antibiotic Stewardship and Prevention of Infection in Communities) members so that youth act as agents of change and continue to influence their social spheres to understand and take up AMR mitigation efforts.

Event

14 key takeaways from the ReAct Africa & South Centre Conference 2023

14 -16 August, ReAct Africa and South Centre co-hosted the 6th regional AMR Conference. It was a successful mix of discussions, performances, posters, key note speakers and a common interest in a robust response to antimicrobial resistance. Here you find 14 key takeaways from the conference days.

Event

ART, BACTERIA AND THE MICROBIOME - A book launch in Ecuador

The World Microbiome Day in Ecuador was marked with the launch of the book “Reflections on the tiny and living: Art, Bacteria and Microbiome”, a collective project aimed to make the beauty and importance of bacteria visible, for the sustainability of planetary health.

Webinar and Workshop

Join community engagement webinar and workshop series this Fall!

This fall, ReAct, Uppsala Antibiotic Center and Antibiotic Smart Sweden arrange a webinar and workshop series for promoting a systematic and meaningful engagement of communities and civil society groups as key stakeholders in the global response to antibiotic resistance. Learn more and register!

Interview

Student Kyembe: I learned a lot joining both the ReAct Africa conference and the AMR Leadership Program

– I have always been passionate about global health, particularly antimicrobial resistance and innovations in health, says newly graduated medical student Student Kyembe Ignitius Salachi from Zambia. He has joined both the ReAct Africa Leadership Program and the ReAct Africa Conference. He is looking forward to joining the conference this year as well.

News

ReAct is hiring!

ReAct – Action on Antibiotic Resistance is a global network working to catalyze global, national and local action on antibiotic resistance. Founded in 2005, ReAct was one of the first actors to articulate the complex nature of antibiotic resistance and its drivers, and to promote a holistic approach to engaging all of society in tackling this global health threat. ReAct is now looking for a visionary and experienced director to lead the work of the ReAct Asia Pacific node.

News

Key achievements on antibiotic resistance during the Swedish EU Council Presidency

Today June 30 marks the last day of the Swedish Presidency of the European Council where antibiotic resistance was successfully lifted to the top of the health policy agenda. ReAct looks back at our efforts to place antibiotic resistance on the presidency agenda and what was achieved over the last six months.

Event

World Microbiome Day: Join international dialogue on Art, Microbes and Planetary Health!

22 June, ReAct Latin America invites you and members of your organization to an exciting online event on “Art, Microbes and Planetary Health” to mark World Microbiome Day 27 June.

Event

Almedalen: Keeping antibiotics effective – can Sweden's experience apply elsewhere? A reality check

oin ReAct and Uppsala Antibiotic Center seminar during Almedalen Week in Sweden!

This collaborative seminar is a conversation focusing on how the Swedish experiences with the STRAMA programme may be useful inspiration for other countries who wish to improve stewardship of antibiotics in the human health sector – as well as what Sweden can learn from others. The seminar will also focus on obstacles low- and middle-income countries may face in adapting and implementing similar programmes in their contexts and what can be done to overcome such obstacles.

ReAct Report

ReAct’s Impact Report 2019-2022!

Despite being a period marked by the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, over the last four years, clear progress has been made in global efforts to address antibiotic resistance. During 2019-2022 ReAct evolved as a network and increased its efforts to act on antibiotic resistance at a global, regional and country level. Together, the five ReAct nodes have collaborated – from community level to the highest global political agenda.

News

Ambitious new AMR recommendations adopted by EU Member States today

Today at the EPSCO meeting in Brussels, the European Council adopted new Council Recommendations on AMR. The level of ambition and the swift adoption of these recommendations are a testament to the determination of the Swedish Presidency of the Council to make AMR a central political priority during these last 6 months.

News

ReAct Asia Pacific: Sensitizing civil society in India

Given the potential of civil society organizations to support activities to mitigate antimicrobial resistance and their ability to influence policies on important issues, ReAct Asia Pacific and World Animal Protection India hosted a workshop on antimicrobial resistance and community engagement. This to sensitize different civil society organizations working on broader health issues and issues close to antimicrobial resistance. The meeting identified 10 possible strategies civil society organizations could take up to mitigate antimicrobial resistance.

News

Uppsala Dialogue meeting: Experts from more than 20 countries gathered for collaborative actions on ABR

On 9–10th of May, ReAct in collaboration with Uppsala University hosted a well-attended dialogue meeting with the title “The Global Need for Effective Antibiotics – Unlocking Barriers for Collective Action”. Within the framework of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the meeting gathered experts from more than 20 countries including representatives from Asia, Africa, and Latin America to discuss concrete ways to achieve stronger global actions on antibiotic resistance.

News

33rd ECCMID – ReAct's highlights and impressions

On April 15-18 the 33rd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) took place in Copenhagen (Denmark). The congress counted over 15,000 registrations in a hybrid format, more than 150 sessions, and representatives of 146 countries.

ReAct’s Andrea Caputo Svensson, Global Health Advisor and Maria Pränting, Scientific Coordinator attended the full program and shares three highlights.

News

Sweden's successful approach to antibiotic resistance can be used as inspiration in other countries

Policy

Statement by ReAct – in response to the EC adoption of the revised pharmaceutical legislation proposal

The European Commission finally presented their proposal for revising all EU pharmaceuticals legislation after months of delay. The proposal seeks to improve access to medicines in a number of ways including by introducing a new incentive to support the development of new antibiotics. However, the ‘transferable exclusivity voucher’(TEV) builds on a deep-rooted misconception that big pharmaceutical companies are indispensable for the development of new antibiotics.

News

When Doctor Rianto suffered from antibiotic resistance as a patient

Professor Rianto Setiabudy, a clinical pharmacology specialist and professor from the School of Medicines at Universitas Indonesia shares his personal story as a patient suffering from a resistant bacterial infection.

News

ReAct Latin America: Cycling as community engagement

On April 2, around 300 people of all ages cycled 14 kilometers along the bicycle paths adjacent to the main rivers in the south of the city of Cuenca, Ecuador, for World Tuberculosis Day.

News

Sweden: International high-level meeting - unlocking barriers for collective action on antibiotic resistance

On 9–10 May, a forum will be held in Uppsala on the topic of antibiotic resistance within the framework of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The meeting will be hosted by Uppsala University and ReAct. The discussion will focus on unlocking barriers for collective action on antibiotic resistance.

New publication

New publication! Equitable access to antibiotics: A core element for pandemic preparedness and response

In an article published in the latest Symposium Issue of the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics “Antimicrobial Resistance Must Be Included in the Pandemic Instrument to Ensure Future Global Pandemic Readiness”, ReAct calls for securing equitable and sustainable access to effective antibiotics and other countermeasures to be a key consideration in the upcoming pandemic instrument.

News

High-level conference in Japan: Universal Health Coverage, pandemic prevention, preparedness & response and AMR in focus

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent public health threats. Experts and policymakers are agreeing that there is far too little done to initiate the necessary systems changes needed to address this global challenge. As a step forward, the Asia Europe Foundation in collaboration with the Japanese Minister of foreign affairs and the AMR Clinical Reference Center arranged the high-level conference “Universal health coverage in an era of antimicrobial resistance and pandemics”.

Release

New ReAct Expert Policy Brief: 5 key challenges and public not-for-profit solutions in early stages antibiotics R&D

End 2022, ReAct Europe initiated the project REMAAP (Revisiting Effective Models to Advance the Antibiotic Pipeline) to find ways how to best reinvigorate the antibiotic pipeline with a public health interest in focus. Now the REMAAP initiative is publishing a new Expert Policy Brief: Identifying key bottlenecks in the early stages of antibiotic R&D and exploring public and not-for-profit solutions. In this article you find the brief and five takeaways from a two-day expert workshop held 7-8 November 2022, including suggested ways forward.

Opinion editorial

Time is ticking – more needs to be done to tackle antibiotic resistance

Almost 1.3 million people die every year due to antibiotic resistance. The Swedish EU Presidency has highlighted the problem but more needs to be done, says ReAct – Action on Antibiotic Resistance and Médecins Sans Frontières Sweden in opinion editorial published in the Swedish magazine Omvärlden.

News

Sustainable access to effective antibiotics in focus at Swedish EU presidency High-level meeting

On the 6-7 March, the Swedish EU presidency hosted a high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Stockholm. Experts and policymakers from the European commission and the EU’s member states discussed the challenge in antibiotic research and development and how the EU can support global efforts to address AMR more effectively.

Release

New UNEP report – spotlight on environment and AMR

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently released a new report on the environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) highlighting how the misuse and overuse of antibiotics in humans, animals, and agriculture can contribute to the spread of drug-resistant infections. This, in turn, can cause severe consequences for public health, food security, and ecosystems. Anthony So, Director ReAct Strategic Policy Program, is one of five lead authors of the report.

News

Sweden: Towards an antibiotic smart society

Imagine a society where everyone plays their part to safeguard antibiotics. And not just where they are directly being used – such as in health care settings – but also in schools, wastewater treatment facilities and child care centers across the country. This is the goal of the nation-wide initiative Antibiotic Smart Sweden. ReAct Europe is one of the collaborating organizations.

Interview

Malin Grape – Sweden’s AMR Ambassador on her role and the Swedish EU Presidency

Early 2022, Malin Grape was appointed by the Swedish Government as Sweden’s, and the world’s, first AMR Ambassador – to further strengthen global efforts against antimicrobial resistance. ReAct had the opportunity to talk to her about her role one year after her appointment and about antimicrobial resistance and the current Swedish EU Presidency.

News

Dr. Jaya Ranjalkar new Director ReAct Asia Pacific

Dr. Jaya Ranjalkar is the new Interim Director for ReAct Asia Pacific. She joined ReAct in 2017 as a Senior Research Officer. Dr. Ranjalkar is a medical doctor and has worked in various public health related projects before joining ReAct.

News

Dancing with bacteria: a theatrical performance about antibiotic resistance

At the end of 2022, ReAct Latin America and partners produced a creative theatrical performance – Dancing with bacteria. The production used traditional music together with modern dance to raise awareness about antibiotic resistance.

Science

Genomic analysis of sewage from 101 countries reveals global landscape of antimicrobial resistance

End last year a new comprehensive study that analyses sewage samples from 234 cities in 101 countries was published. The study highlights the potential of a sewage-based global monitoring system. ReAct reached out to Professor Frank Aarestrup, co-conceiver and co-writer of the study, to learn more about the project and to hear his thoughts on monitoring and surveillance.