GSK has brought its message about the risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to commuters in London. The drugmaker worked with its partner the Fleming Initiative to tell people traveling through Paddington Station about the rise of AMR.
In a post on Instagram, GSK showed people engaging with materials it put up in the train station with the Fleming Initiative. The materials included panels with multiple-choice questions that travelers answered by putting stickers next to one of the responses.
One question asked what would give a person with a cough and sore throat the most confidence not to take antibiotics. Potential answers included “a medical test that shows that I don’t need antibiotics” and “advice from my pharmacist.” Another panel posed true or false questions about how much care people need to take when using antibiotics.
The questions were part of an attempt to find out what people know about AMR. Aruni Mulgirigama, U.K. head of medical, general medicines at GSK, was at the station and spoke in the Instagram video. The GSK staffer said “we really hope that we can prevent this future state where antimicrobial resistance is widespread.”
GSK opened another front in its attempt to prevent that scenario in May by pledging 45 million pounds ($57 million) to the Fleming Initiative. The cash will support an initiative led by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London to tackle AMR around the world.
Imperial College has a site next to Paddington. GSK recently moved its headquarters into central London, setting up shop around 2 miles east of Paddington. The company is overseeing a range of work related to AMR from the headquarters, including the development of antibiotics and the study of vaccines that could reduce the need for antimicrobials.