Since it was launched last year, the United States' AMR Challenge has gathered nearly 350 commitments from 33 countries to implement specific actions to combat antibiotic resistance.
The CDC and HHS led the global initiative, which includes commitments to antibiotic resistance efforts from pharmaceutical and health insurance companies, food animal producers and purchasers, and medical professionals and healthcare systems.
More than 55 pharmaceutical and biotech groups committed to developing or increasing access to products that will mitigate drug-resistant infections and nearly half of the commitments focus on improving antibiotic use. Also, nearly 50 percent of the commitments focus on improving infection prevention and control.
"The success of the challenge over the past year demonstrates what is possible, in the relatively short term, when we have real commitment to the fight against this pressing public health threat," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar.