ASHP Participates in White House Effort to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

PRESS RELEASE

ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, Pharm.D., Sc.D. (Hon.), FASHP, today joined national leaders from over 150 major food companies, retailers, and human and animal health stakeholders at the White House Forum on Antibiotic Stewardship to announce commitments to implement changes over the next five years to slow the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, detect resistant strains, preserve the efficacy of existing antibiotics, and prevent the spread of resistant infections.

ASHP made a series of commitments, including to collaborate on the development of standardized metrics for pharmacy antibiotic stewardship programs and to further foster the development of education, research, and interprofessional collaboration to address the growing problems associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

ASHP has long advocated for pharmacists to take prominent roles in antimicrobial stewardship programs and has devoted significant resources to those efforts, including educational offerings, practice guidelines, and research funding to support pharmacists’ ability to participate in the infection prevention and control programs in their organizations, said Abramowitz.

“ASHP is pleased to contribute to this national effort,” he said. “Today’s forum provided a wonderful opportunity to highlight the vital clinical roles that pharmacists play in improving healthcare quality and patient outcomes as key members of the healthcare team.”

Pharmacists’ responsibilities for antimicrobial stewardship and infection prevention and control include promoting the optimal use of antimicrobial agents, reducing the transmission of infections, and educating health professionals, patients, and the public.

The goal of the forum was to exchange ideas on ways public and private-sector stakeholders can collaborate to improve responsible antibiotic use and to discuss opportunities for further improvement.