Today I attended the Antibiotic Research UK annual lecture in the House of Commons. Here I am with the Chairman, Ashley Burgess and Chief Executive, Professor Colin Garner of Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK) just before the meeting.
The theme of the very powerful and thought-provoking lecture which was delivered by Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer, was that we are not doing enough, fast enough, to tackle the massive global problem of antibiotic resistance. Dame Sally said that if urgent action is not taken, thousands of people will die of everyday illnesses because bugs are increasingly resistant to antibiotics. She made it clear that, although we in the UK are making some progress, not enough is being done across the world to make a difference.
It was a call to action that we need to come up with a solution fast. ANTRUK, a Yorkshire charity developing a new antibiotic, has my full support for the hugely important work that it does in this field and I will do whatever I can to help.