Malawi Ministry of Health, bioMérieux, and Pfizer Form Country's First Multisectoral Collaboration to Address Antimicrobial Resistance

The Malawi Ministry of Health, bioMérieux, and Pfizer have initiated Malawi's first multisectoral collaboration to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This coalition aims to bolster the nation's healthcare system through infection prevention, diagnostics, surveillance, and appropriate antibiotic use.

This collaboration targets four public central hospitals: Kamuzu, Mzuzu, Queen Elizabeth, and Zomba. By equipping labs with new diagnostic tools, the effort seeks to improve patient care and enhance the Ministry's pathogen analysis capabilities.

In 2019, around 19,000 deaths in Malawi were attributed to bacterial AMR. With an average drug resistance rate estimated at 76%, urgent interventions are necessary.

Pfizer's financial grant to the University of North Carolina Project-Malawi will support technical assistance and training in these hospitals. The goal is to fortify microbiology and surveillance capacities, improve antibiotic prescribing patterns, and strengthen the link between physicians and labs.