If governments are serious about pandemic preparedness, they must support bold measures to conserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials within the Pandemic Instrument
This paper is about the future role of the commercial sector in global health and
health equity. The discussion is not about the overthrow of capitalism nor a full-throated
embrace of corporate partnerships. No single solution can eradicate the harms from
the commercial determinants of health the business models, practices, and products
of market actors that damage health equity and human and planetary health and wellbeing.
But evidence shows that progressive economic models, international frameworks, government
regulation, compliance mechanisms for commercial entities, regenerative business types
and models that incorporate health, social, and environmental goals, and strategic
civil society mobilisation together offer possibilities of systemic, transformative
change, reduce those harms arising from commercial forces, and foster human and planetary
wellbeing.
The emerging pandemic of antimicrobial resistance and challenges to addressing it have parallels with climate change, said experts at a recent online panel on AMR Policy Leadership and Innovation, hosted by York University’s Global Strategy Lab, as part of World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week.