Government Response to the Committee's Eleventh Report: Antimicrobial resistance

This is the government's response, published 24 January 2019.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government welcomes the Committee's report and says AMR "is, and will remain, a government priority", setting out its response through a new 20-year vision and a five-year national action plan published alongside it.

• On pharmaceutical market failure, it is "considering a range of options" for market incentives and funding, and says the UK "will not stimulate drug and product development on our own". It is "developing plans to test" a reimbursement model that "could, potentially, delink company revenues from sales".
• On prescribing in healthcare, the new action plan sets "a further 15% overall reduction in antimicrobial use", with a 25% reduction in community antibiotic use from 2013 levels and a 10% reduction in WHO 'reserve' and 'watch' antibiotics in secondary care.
• On diagnostic tests, it states "We agree with the Committee's recommendation that the use of diagnostic tests should be based on NICE guidance".
• On animals and trade, it agrees "more must be done" and will implement the new EU Veterinary Medicines legislation on antibiotics, "subject to the official public consultation process". On trade deals it says it "will not water down our standards" on food safety, animal welfare and environmental protection.

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