March 23, 2023
Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.
National Center for Global Health and Medicine

Sumitomo Pharma and National Center for Global Health and Medicine
Initiate 2nd Joint International Project on Measures against Antimicrobial
Resistance (AMR) and Promoting Proper Use of Antibiotics in Vietnam
Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Osaka, Japan; Representative Director, President
and CEO: Hiroshi Nomura; hereinafter, “Sumitomo Pharma”) and National Center for Global
Health and Medicine (Head Office: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Dr. Norihiro Kokudo;
hereinafter, “NCGM”) today announced that they had commenced the 2nd Joint Antimicrobial
Susceptibility Study (hereinafter, “the 2nd Study”) in Vietnam. The study’s aims are tocontribute to the proper use of antibiotics and measures against antimicrobial resistance(AMR) in Vietnam.
In recent years, AMR has been recognized as a social problem requiring global level action.
Especially in Vietnam, it has been reported that resistance to antibiotics for various Gramnegative rods, typically Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp., is particularly high.
This is a major problem, which needs to be addressed urgently.
In view of this, in the 1st study*1, which was started by the 2 organizations in 2019, a total ofover 1,200 strains of four important Gram-negative rods (Escherichia coli, Klebsiellapneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter spp.) was collected from ten
hospitals in Vietnam in order to measure susceptibility to the main antimicrobials usedclinically in the country and investigate the latest status of drug resistance by hospital and byregion. In addition to sharing antibiograms*2 based on the obtained data, we have beenworking on capacity building to encourage individual hospitals to select and use antibiotics
based on evidence; for example, through technical training on the use of PK-PD theory*3,
which is widely used in developed countries.
It is important to keep epidemiological information up to date by continually conducting
antimicrobial susceptibility surveillance studies. Since face-to-face exchanges between
Japan and Vietnam are being resumed in the post-COVID-19 era, with the approval of
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health, it has been decided to conduct a 2nd study. A total of 11
hospitals will be surveyed, including the 10 which have participated since the 1st study. In
addition to supplementing the study content based on the results of the 1st study to make it
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more compatible with local medical needs, the research in the 2nd study will be conductedaccording to a new system that emphasizes the future implementation by local communities
themselves.
A kick-off ceremony for the 2nd study was held on February 12, 2023 in Hanoi Vietnam,
inviting stakeholders both from the two countries including honored guests from Vietnam’s
Ministry of Health, the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam and other organizations. The ceremony
was held as official commemorative events for the 50th anniversary of the establishment ofdiplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam as well as the 50th anniversary of friendshipand cooperation between Japan and ASEAN, regarding its nature of promoting furtherexchanges and medical development between Japan and Vietnam.
By continuing its participation in a joint study and sharing the results, Sumitomo Pharma aims
to raise awareness of the importance of determining antibiotic susceptibility in routine tests
to enable medical institutions to select optimal antibiotics for treatment.
Through participation in industry-academia-government collaborations of this kind, NCGM
will actively expand the use of a global clinical research platform for a wide variety of diseases,
including infectious diseases, intractable diseases, and neglected diseases that leads tonew R&D projects. It aims to conduct international clinical studies that promote thedevelopment of pharmaceuticals with the focus on infectious diseases, intractable diseases,
and neglected diseases. NCGM also aims to support corporate activities that have a highlevel of public benefit and contribute to the global expansion of Japanese medical care andadvancement of the pharmaceutical industry.

2*1 For details of the 1st study, please refer to the press release dated July 9, 2019 - https://www.sumitomopharma.com/ir/news/2019/20190709.html*2 Antibiogram: A list of susceptibility rates (%Susceptible) of bacteria isolated over a certain period of time
to various antimicrobial agents at a specific hospital (or aggregated for multiple facilities, by region, country,etc.). Hospitals in developed countries increasingly utilize antibiograms for optimal antimicrobial drug
selection in empiric antimicrobial therapy (initial antimicrobial therapy) of bacterial infections as well as ininfection control through monitoring of resistant bacteria and assessment of whether antimicrobials are being
used properly or not.
*3 PK-PD theory: By combining pharmacokinetics (PK) and Pharmacodynamics (PD) to make connections
between them, this theory is used to clarify relationships between dosage and administration, and actions(efficacy, adverse events). Dosage and administration details are set in view of the efficacy and safety ofdrugs to help ensure their proper use. With both basic and clinical research on antimicrobials progressing,opportunities for the use of such publicized theories as a reference in designing of dosage regimen of
antimicrobials are increasing.

Reference
Title of the study
Surveillance study of in vitro antibiotic susceptibility and antibiotic resistance mechanism ofvarious Gram-negative bacteria isolated in Vietnam
Sumitomo Pharma’s antibiotic business in Vietnam
Via Zuellig Pharma, Sumitomo Pharma has been selling MERONEM® (generic name:meropenem hydrate; brand name in Japan: MEROPEN®), a carbapenem antibiotic
preparation discovered in-house, in Vietnam and 4 other Southeast Asian countries as wellas Hong Kong, since 2017.
As it is a growth market for pharmaceuticals, the company has been focusing on reinforcing
its business in Asia and in 2021 opened a Vietnam representative office in Ho Chi Minh City.
NCGM AMR countermeasures
NCGM has established AMR Clinical Reference Center based on an AMR countermeasures
action plan for Japan. The Center has been involved in clinical epidemiology and informationprovision programs as well as supporting educational activities. It has created a nationwide
surveillance system to monitor antibiotic usage based on information collected, and supports
measures to prevent outbreaks of AMR-resistant infections in collaboration with local
authorities. In addition to compiling guidelines and manuals, the Center creates educational
materials for the provision of information to both the public and healthcare professionals.
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Contact:
Corporate Communications
Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd.
TEL: +81-6-6203-1407 (Osaka); +81-3-5205-3275 (Tokyo)
Public Relations and Planning Office
National Center for Global Health and Medicine
E-mail: press@hosp.ncgm.go.jp

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