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IDSA urges Obama administration to support efforts to reduce antibiotic resistance
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In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Barack Obama mentioned the need to fund efforts to stem antibiotic resistance. In response, the Infectious Diseases Society of America is urging the president to take specific actions to achieve that goal.
“For years, IDSA has sounded the alarm about the public health crisis of resistance that is sickening and killing increasing numbers of patients and costing our health care system billions of dollars,” Barbara Murray, MD, president of the IDSA, said in a statement. “Vaccines are key to preventing many diseases, but when it comes to drug-resistant infections, we need a multi-pronged approach that includes vaccines as well as new antibiotics, diagnostics and other public health interventions.”
Barbara Murray
The IDSA is encouraging Obama to take the following steps to reduce antibiotic resistance in the United States:
- Appoint a new office and director within the Assistant Secretary for Health or the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response to coordinate federal efforts and lead the Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance.
- Arrange a public-private partnership between the government, academia and industry to share information and find ways to overcome barriers to antibiotic research and development, similar to the European Union’s “New Drugs for Bad Bugs” initiative.
- Invest in the development of new diagnostics and encourage their use in clinical practice.
The IDSA also is asking the president to work with Congress to enact several legislative proposals, including the Antibiotic Development to Advance Patient Treatment (ADAPT) Act, which would expedite access to new antimicrobials for specific patient populations with an unmet medical need by allowing the drugs to be approved based upon smaller, more rapid clinical trials.
In addition, the Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance (STAAR) Act would reauthorize the Antimicrobial Resistance Task Force; improve data collection and surveillance of drug-resistant infections and antibiotic use; and support research efforts.
The ADAPT and STAAR Acts both were introduced to Congress last year.
Finally, the IDSA suggests the use of tax credits to aid in the development of new antibiotics and diagnostic tests.
In his address, Obama said, “Congress should undo the damage done by last year’s cuts to basic research so we can unleash the next great American discovery — whether it’s vaccines that stay ahead of drug-resistant bacteria, or paper-thin material that’s stronger than steel.”