Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics

The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1981 by Dr. Stuart B. Levy, Professor of Medicine at Tufts University and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. APUA’s mission is to strengthen society’s defenses against infectious disease by promoting appropriate access and use to antimicrobial agents (antibiotics, antivirals, antimalarials etc.) and controlling antimicrobial resistance on a worldwide basis. APUA has a network of affiliated chapters in over 50 countries, and conducts applied antimicrobial resistance research, education, capacity building and advocacy at the global and grassroots levels.

Wide-scale misuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials and related resistance to these drugs is challenging infectious disease treatment and health care budgets worldwide. Antimicrobials are uniquely societal drugs because each individual patient use can propagate resistant organisms. APUA’s provides information to individuals, doctors and policy makers aimed at preserving the power of these agents by preventing infection, reducing drug resistance and increasing the effectiveness of treatment for infectious diseases, including acute bacterial diseases, tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria.

Trivia

 * The union's acronym means "help" in Finnish.