A World Without Antibiotics, 2–3 June 2015

In 2015, Uppsala Health Summit focused on how we can use our current state of knowledge and innovations to take steps forward, on global, national and local levels, to reduce the threat from antibiotic resistance. Conclusions will be presented in the Post-Conference Report, due in September 2015.

The first plenum session addressed the complexity of the problem of antibiotic resistance, and the need for concerted global actions. The speakers were Dr Suwit Wibulpolprasert from the Thai Ministry of Health; Dr Gilles Forte from the WHO:s Dept of Essential Medicine and John F. Ryan, Acting Director of the European Commission Public Health Directorate. The session was introduced by Professor Otto Cars from Uppsala University and ReAct.

The afternoon session presented three highly different, but positive, examples of change, focusing on the need for political commitment and leadership. The Netherlands’ decreased use of antibiotics in animal production was presented by Dr Hetty van Beers-Schreurs, Director General, SDa Autoriteit Diergeneesmiddelen and Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt from Ghana’s Ministry of Health presented Ghana’s achievements in developing a national drug policy. Thailand’s Dr Suwit Wibulpolprasert reflected on their experiences from gaining the necessary political commitment to implement the Antibiotics Smart Use program in Thailand.

The final plenum presentations focused on actions needed on a global level now, considering the global action plan’s adoption, featuring Dr Manica Balasegaram from Médécins Sans Frontières’ Access campaign; Brendan Barnes from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and directly on video link from Washington DC, Ramanan Laxminarayan, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, and the Public Health Foundation of India.

Programme

Plenum moderator: Cecilia Garme, PhD, political journalist

Tuesday, 2 June
8:30– 9:00	Registration
9:00–9:15	Welcome Anders Malmberg, Professor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Uppsala University, Chairman Uppsala Health Summit Gabriel Wikström, Minister for Health Care, Public Health and Sport, Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Sweden
9:15–10:30	Framing the issue Otto Cars, Professor, Uppsala University, Senior Advisor and Founder, ReAct Dr. Gilles Forte, Coordinator, Dept of Essential Medicine, WHO Dr. Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Deputy Permanent Secretary and Senior Advisor at the Thai Ministry of Public Health John F. Ryan, Acting Director of the European Commission Public Health Directorate
10:30–11:00	Coffee break
11:00–13:00	Workshops – in parallel Workshop A: Access not excess Workshop B: New economic models addressing antibiotic resistance Workshop C: The environmental dimension of antibiotic resistance
13:00–14:00	Lunch break
14:00–15:00	Workshops (continued)
15:00–15:30	Coffee break
15:30–16:15	Panel Discussion: Gain political commitment and reach implementation. How can we influence policy makers? How can we transform decisions taken into actions and changed behaviours? Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, B.Pharm, MA Health Policy, Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Ghana Ministry of Health Dr. Hetty Van Beers-Schreurs, Director General, SDa Autoriteit Diergeneesmiddelen, Netherlands Dr. Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Deputy Permanent Secretary and Senior Advisor at the Thai Ministry of Public Health
16:15–17:30	Summary of workshop sessions and discussion
19:00	Dinner

Wednesday, 3 June
8:15– 8:45	Registration
8:45–9:00	Recapitulation from day 1
9:00–10:00	Actions needed Brendan Barnes, Director IP and Global Health, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Manica Balasegaram, Executive Director, Médécins sans Frontières’s Access Campaign Ramanan Laxminarayan, Director and Senior Fellow, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy, US; Vice-President for Research and Policy, Public Health Foundation of India
10:00–10:30	Coffee break
10:30–12:30	Workshops – in parallel Workshop D: Research and innovation for new therapies – collaborative models Workshop E: Improved diagnostics for public health and surveillance Workshop F: Antibiotics in animal production
12:30–13:30	Lunch break
13:30–14:30	Workshops (continued)
14:30–15:00	Coffee break
15:00–16:00	Summary of workshop sessions and discussion
16:00–16:30	Final words Thomas Tängdén, MD, PhD, Assistant professor, Uppsala University; Medical Director ReAct; Chair Uppsala Health Summit Programme Committee.