Aetna International calls for action on antibiotic resistance

Antimicrobial resistance causes 700,000 deaths per year globally - without action, the death toll could reach 10 million by 2050. The insurer's calls to action and strategies are are outlined in Aetna's whitepaper Antibiotic resistance: Toward better stewardship of a precious medical resource. The main causes of antimicrobial resistance (a broader category that also encompasses drug-resistant viruses, fungi and parasites) are misuse and over-prescription; the use of antibiotics in agriculture; a lack of research and an anaemic drug pipeline; and poor hygiene and sanitation. A 2014 ...