Congress targets antibiotic crisis
The Urgent Need to Address Antibiotic Resistance
The world’s population is facing a growing threat - the rise of antibiotic resistance. Healthcare institutions are sounding the alarm, warning that if we don’t take action, our healthcare systems could collapse within the next 30 years.
In 2021, the World Health Organization identified antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 emerging threats to global health. Despite this, lawmakers in the United States have been unable to pass legislation to tackle this crisis.
A Bipartisan Solution: The PASTEUR Act
However, there is hope on the horizon. Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) recently reintroduced a bipartisan bill called the PASTEUR Act. Health professionals are optimistic that Congress can finally come together to address this pressing issue.
“We can’t sit on our hands and wait for the next public health crisis to arrive. It’s time for Congress to pass the PASTEUR Act,” said Sen. Young.
Mary Dwight, chief policy and advocacy officer at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, emphasized the urgency of taking action as soon as possible.
“We are currently in a crisis of enough effective antibiotics that are available to treat infections that occur every day all across America, all across the world. We really are in a current pandemic of ineffective antibiotics,” she said.
Clinicians stress the need for the development of newer antibiotics to combat emerging, multi-drug resistant bacteria. However, the marketplace for these drugs is unfavorable due to the nature of antibiotics.
“The more we use an antibiotic, the more likely it is that the infections we’re treating become resistant to the antibiotic. So, it’s important that we be good stewards of those drugs and that we not use the newer drugs as often when an older therapy works. You see how that could be a disincentive in the market,” explained Dwight.
The PASTEUR Act: A Solution for Antibiotic Revenue
The reintroduced bill aims to address the lack of revenue generated by antibiotics. It proposes flat federal subsidies for companies that produce antibiotics, regardless of how much of the antibiotic is actually purchased.
This bipartisan bill has been introduced before but has never made it to a floor vote, partly due to its high price tag of a $6 billion down payment.
However, according to Dwight, the federal government is already spending nearly $4 billion a year to treat six of the most antibiotic-resistant infections. The CDC estimates this cost to be even higher, at $4.6 billion.
As the catalog of antibiotic-resistant infections continues to grow, so will the cost. In 2017, the WHO published a list of bacteria for which new antibiotics are urgently needed, including common infections like staph, salmonella, and gonorrhea.
Antibiotic Resistance: A Threat to All
Until now, antibiotic resistance has primarily been seen as a concern for people with chronic diseases. However, experts warn that this perception is incorrect.
Assistant professor of infectious diseases at the Yale School of Medicine, Scott Roberts, stated, “We’re seeing over time that it is spreading outside of that select patient population and becoming more widespread. These infections can spread person to person and impact any one of us.”
Reports of gonorrhea that is only sensitive to one of the last-resort antibiotics, known as carbapenems, have raised concerns. The CDC has also reported a significant increase in multi-drug resistant strains of shigella, a common food-borne bacteria.
Each year, over 2.8 million Americans acquire serious infections caused by antibiotic resistance, resulting in 35,000 deaths. The United Nations projects that antibiotic-resistant infections will cause 10 million global deaths annually by 2050.
“If you wait till something’s already a problem, you’re going to miss a huge catchment of patients who won’t benefit from that therapy until it’s too late,” warned Roberts.
Urgent Congressional Intervention
In an effort to mitigate this impending crisis, the Senate recently held a hearing on antimicrobial resistance. Witness Dr. Helen Boucher, dean and professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, emphasized the need for Congress to intervene before AMR becomes a full-fledged public health emergency.
“This is a game where there needs to be planning in advance for the threats we know and some we don’t know,” said Dr. Boucher.
Clinicians are calling for the development of more antibiotics to combat emerging threats. However, the resources currently available are insufficient.
According to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, out of the 12 antibiotics companies that have gone public in the past 10 years, only five are still active today. In 2019, two drug makers filed for bankruptcy shortly after releasing FDA-approved antibiotics.
The need to address antibiotic resistance is urgent. The PASTEUR Act presents an opportunity for Congress to take decisive action and protect the future of healthcare.
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