Sep 18, 2019
For the third time in five years, Fortune has named BD to its list of companies that are Changing the World , this year recognizing the company for its significant global efforts and investments to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the areas of infection prevention, diagnostics, surveillance and reporting.
Through its decades of experience in collaborating to solve difficult global health challenges, BD is working with its broad network of non-profit partners and health ministries to establish two significant programs focusing on diagnostics:
- BD has partnered with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) to develop a new Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on AMR and diagnostics. The program was developed in response to a substantial gap in education and training on how laboratories can best use diagnostic testing to advance antimicrobial stewardship. The MOOC was designed with advisory consultation from 11 country governments alongside five non-profit organizations and will launch globally later this year and will be free of charge for all. Additionally, in select countries, participants that pass the MOOC modules will receive certificates of completion issued by LSHTM.
- In an effort to strengthen the capacity to combat AMR in laboratories in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), BD has partnered with the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a Geneva-based non-profit, to jointly develop and deploy the AMR Scorecard for Lab Quality Improvement. The program uses step-by-step methodology to assess AMR-related lab capabilities, and based on results of the assessment, provide training to close the identified gaps. The scorecard has been piloted in Africa and India and will be deployed more broadly in 2020.
In May 2019, BD was awarded a USD $6 million contract from The Fleming Fund, a UK aid program that helps LMIC tackle AMR. The program is managed by the UK Department of Health and Social Care, in partnership with Mott MacDonald, the Fleming Fund Grant Management Agent.
For more information about the company’s actions to combat AMR, visit http://amr.bd.com/ and stay tuned to the BD blog for a deeper look at BD’s AMR strategy.