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Obama administration proposes $1.2 billion of antibiotic resistance-related funding

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The Obama administration’s 2016 fiscal year budget proposal includes more than $1.2 billion of federal funding toward combating antibiotic resistance, according to a White House press release.

Among the key goals of the proposed funding are improved antibiotic stewardship programs, surveillance, reporting and research in the health care and agricultural sectors. It is nearly twice as much money toward antibiotic resistance-related areas as was provided in 2015.

The proposed budget includes:

• More than $650 million to the NIH and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority for the development of antibacterial agents and rapid diagnostics;
• More than $280 million to the CDC for antibiotic stewardship, outbreak surveillance, antibiotic monitoring and research support;
• $85 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs for antibiotic resistance in health care settings;
• $77 million to the Department of Agriculture for antibiotic research and surveillance;
• $75 million to the Department of Defense for antibiotic resistance in health care settings.
• $47 million to the FDA for the evaluation of novel antibacterial treatments for patients and antibiotic stewardship in animal agriculture.

In September 2014, President Barack Obama unveiled his administration’s strategy to combat antibiotic resistance at the Global Health Security Agenda Summit and signed the Executive Order to Combat Antibiotic Resistance, a 5-year plan to enhance domestic and international efforts against antibiotic resistant bacteria.

“We now have a national strategy to combat antibiotic resistant bacteria, to better protect our children and grandchildren from the re-emergence of diseases and infections that the world conquered decades ago,” Obama said at the time.

According to the CDC, antibiotic resistant bacteria are responsible for at least 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths annually in the United States, as well as $20 billion in excess direct health care costs and up to $35 billion in lost productivity each year.