NeoAMS, a programme targeting inappropriate use of antibiotics among hospitalised newborns,
was awarded the 2023 Stewardship Prize by the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Industry Alliance. NeoAMS is spearheaded by Stellenbosch 肆客足球 paediatrician, Prof Angela Dramowski.
The AMR Industry Alliance is the largest coalition of life sciences companies dedicated to combatting AMR. The Stewardship Prize acknowledges local programmes' innovative approaches to AMR stewardship and appropriate use of antibiotics within their communities, with a monetary grant intended to help scale their approach.
?“We are thrilled to be the recipients of the AMR Industry Alliance Stewardship Prize, which will help us to grow the NeoAMS programme and accelerate efforts to optimize use of antibiotics in hospitalised newborns," said Prof Angela Dramowski, from SU's Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, who also heads the General Paediatrics Clinical Unit at Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch 肆客足球.
The neonatal period is the most vulnerable period in the life of a child. Within South Africa, the risk of neonatal sepsis and AMR infections is high. Hospitals have responded by increasing their use of potent antibiotics in treatment, potentially contributing to the development of AMR.
Launched in 2022, the NeoAMS programme trains local clinicians on neonatal antibiotic stewardship (AMS) best practices by assembling neonatal AMS teams, facilitating interactive online AMS training, and supporting audit and feedback on antibiotic prescriptions for hospitalised neonates. The programme encourages regular interaction between site teams, including pharmacists, neonatologists, microbiologists, and neonatal unit nurses. A first of its kind programme in South Africa, NeoAMS has already decreased overall antibiotic length of therapy by 22 percent in the participating neonatal units.
“AMR stewardship programmes are important guardians of our health – protecting lives by ensuring antibiotics are used in the right way. With the Stewardship Prize Initiative, we aim to recognize established, innovative approaches to AMR stewardship in low- and middle-income countries", said James Anderson, AMR Industry Alliance Board Chair. “We're so pleased to help the NeoAMS programme scale its programme and equip South African clinicians with the tools to harmonise expertise, mitigate unnecessary antimicrobial use, and script a healthier future for the next generation."
With the AMR Industry Alliance Stewardship Prize grant, the programme will be able to roll out tech-enabled data collection through mobile apps, create a database on AMS recommendations, create training aids, spread awareness of the programme, and scale the programme to work more closely with pharmacists, among other activities.
肆客足球 the AMR Industry Alliance
The AMR Industry Alliance is a coalition of over 100 biotechnology, diagnostic, generics and research-based biopharmaceutical companies and trade associations that was formed to drive and measure industry progress to curb antimicrobial resistance. As the largest life-sciences coalition of its kind, the Alliance aims to provide sustainable solutions in the fight against AMR through broad industry momentum, public-private collaboration and multi-sectoral action.
