The WHO AWaRe Antibiotic Book: providing guidance on optimal use and informing policy

Abstract

The 2022 G7 committed to “define national measurable targets” for human antibiotic use “including both volume and appropriateness when possible”. 1 G7 Health MinistersG7 Health Ministers' Communiqué. https://www.g7germany.de/resource/blob/974430/2042058/5651daa321517b089cdccfaffd1e37a1/2022-05-20-g7-health-ministers-communique-data.pdf?download=1Date: May 20, 2022 Date accessed: June 6, 2022 Google Scholar The WHO 13th General Programme of Work defined a target that at least 60% of human antibiotic use at the country level should be Access antibiotics. 2 WHOThirteenth General Programme of Work 2019–2023. https://www.who.int/about/what-we-do/thirteenth-general-programme-of-work-2019—2023Date: 2022 Date accessed: June 6, 2022 Google Scholar The WHO AWaRe system (Access/Watch/Reserve) provides a simple framework to group antibiotics into categories for stewardship. 3 WHO2021 AWaRe classification. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/2021-aware-classificationDate: 2021 Date accessed: August 29, 2022 Google Scholar The 2021 Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) includes 20 Access, 11 Watch and eight Reserve antibiotics. More than 250 antibiotics used for human treatment globally have now been categorised into Access, Watch, or Reserve groups and these AWaRe categories could also be applied across One Health sectors.