Manipal, February 25^th, 2022: Manipal Academy of Higher Education and bioMérieux announced the signature of the framework agreement to create a Center of Excellence for Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Stewardship. This new generation laboratory will be located at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal.

The increasing and inappropriate use of antibiotic treatment for both human and animal medicine is fueling the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria around the world. Common infectious diseases are becoming more and more difficult to treat, which is alarming for the entire healthcare community.

A recent report* by The Lancet estimates 1.27 million people die from Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) each year. If no action is taken, AMR could lead to 10 million people dying every year by 2050, according to the World Health Organization**. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is key to fighting resistance and sustaining antibiotic efficacy for future generations as it allows patients to get the right drug, at the right dose at the right time.

bioMérieux and Manipal Academy of Higher Education have a shared vision for the future of managing AMR & improving antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) initiatives. Through this agreement, Manipal Academy of Higher Education has become a partner of choice to define and demonstrate Medical & Economic value and data-driven best practices around AMS, to improve AMS interventions and showcase how throughout the medical community across South Asia. They are also collaborating in a clinical performance evaluation of new diagnostic solutions. Manipal Academy of Higher Education is using its unique panel of academic, technical, and business experts to address the topic of AMR & AMS.

As a world leader in in vitro diagnostics, bioMérieux provides its expertise in advanced diagnostic technologies, IT and lab automation, as well as training and quality management support. A dedicated team is accompanying Manipal Academy of Higher Education to support their AMS initiatives to optimize the use of antibiotics and fight against the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). With its comprehensive range of diagnostic solutions and deep knowledge on data generation for and beyond the lab, bioMérieux will directly support frontline AMS stakeholders, including clinicians and pharmacists, with timely, integrated diagnostic insights to support patient therapy and stewardship intervention.

Lt. Gen. (Dr.) M. D. Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education said

“We consider bioMérieux as a global partner with long-standing commitment & expertise in infectious disease diagnostics and a strong presence worldwide. We are convinced that working together will boost the efficiency and the quality of patient care and will show significant improvement in antimicrobial stewardship measures,”

Rajan Nagar, Vice President & General Manager – bioMérieux, South Asia added “We are extremely pleased by this partnership as we benefit from the expertise of the leading microbiologists and clinicians at Manipal Academy of Higher Education to fight against antimicrobial resistance and further develop antimicrobial stewardship solutions. We are convinced that rapid patient results and epidemiological information will enable microbiologists and clinicians to work together more closely and effectively with the aim of improving patient care.”

This landmark event was witnessed by Dr P L N G Rao, Pro Vice Chancellor, Dr Venkatraya Prabhu, Pro Vice Chancellor, Dr Narayana Sabhahit, Registrar, MAHE, Dr Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay, Associate Dean, Dr Krishnananda Prabhu, Associate Dean, Dr Vandana K E, Professor and Head, Department of Microbiology, from KMC, Manipal. The bioMérieux was represented by Mr Somnath Banerjee, Mr Soumyabrata Chakraborty, and Dr Navjeet Singh.