White House officials stress cooperation in antibiotic resistance campaign

Federal and private sector officials advocated swift action against antibiotic resistance today during a special forum hosted by the Obama administration.

“Antibiotics have been called ‘the miracle drug.’ Like other miracles, they don’t necessarily last forever,” Sylvia M. Burwell, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said during the forum. “[Combating antibiotic resistance] is a priority that has caught the attention of the entire world. We are building momentum. We need to fight this fight.”

CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, said that every year, 2 million Americans are infected with bacteria resistant to antibiotics, and 23,000 people die as a result.

“Some patients receive antibiotics too [readily], while others don’t receive them quickly enough,” he said. “If we aren’t better stewards, we truly risk much of our ability to care and cure.”

A panel including private sector health care officials, and representatives from Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods, expressed interest in working collaboratively with the government and each other to devise solutions.

Donn ie Smith, CEO and president of Tyson Foods, said his company has reduced human-use antibiotics in its poultry products by more than 80% during recent years.

“We need to eliminate human-use antibiotics from the food chain” he said, adding that the public needs to be better educated about the risks associated with antibiotic resistance.

These statements follow an executive order signed last year by President Barack Obama to commence a national effort against antibiotic resistance, and a 2016 fiscal year budget proposal including requests for $1.2 billion in funding to address the issue. Since 2010, the FDA has approved six new antibiotics, four for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America released statements after the event supporting Obama’s efforts.

“We are encouraged that the administration has taken a proactive role in helping find solutions to stem antibiotic resistance, one of the most pressing issues we face in health care,” SHEA President Anthony D. Harris, MD, MPH, said in a written statement.

“I applaud the White House for hosting this event to tackle an issue critical to our nation’s health,” Stephen B. Calderwood, MD, IDSA president, said in a written statement. “For over a decade, IDSA has urged our nation’s leaders to address the many facets of antibiotic resistance - including the urgent need for stewardship to optimize antibiotic use in human health and agricultural settings.” - by David Jwanier