Progress report: Transatlantic Taskforce on Antimicrobial Resistance has adopted 17 recommendations

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the European Commission on Tuesday released the first progress report of the Transatlantic Taskforce on Antimicrobial Resistance. The report renews the commitment of U.S. and European Union health authorities to pursue specific goals in their joint battle against antimicrobial resistance.  

“The partnership offers a unique perspective to tackle antimicrobial resistance worldwide,” said Jimmy Kolker, HHS assistant secretary for global affairs.  “We hope that the positive outcomes of this partnership will serve as a global model as we continue to work on this critical issue.”

TATFAR identified and adopted 17 recommendations for collaborations between the United and the European Union. Implementation of the recommendations has been carried out through increased communication, regular meetings, joint workshops and the exchange of information, approaches and best practices.  Moving forward, one new and 15 existing recommendations will serve as the basis for partner agencies in the United States and the European Union to focus on areas where common actions can deliver the best results in prevention and control of antimicrobial resistance. 

“Antimicrobial resistance is a priority of the European Commission, and international cooperation is key in addressing this serious cross border and global health threat. I am positive that our renewed commitment to TATFAR can make a tangible contribution in the area of global health security,” said John Ryan, acting director for Public Health in the European Commission.

TATFAR was created following the 2009 United States-European Union presidential summit with the goal of improving cooperation between the United States and the European Union in three key areas: appropriate therapeutic use of antimicrobial drugs in medical and veterinary communities, prevention of healthcare- and community-associated drug-resistant infections and strategies for improving the pipeline of new antimicrobial drugs. In 2013 it was decided to renew TATFAR for another two-year term.

The full report is available at CDC.gov/drugresistance/tatfar/report.html.