September 23, 2014
What we found
A 2013 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that 23,000 lives are lost in the U.S. each year from antibiotic resistance-related infections, and 2 million such infections occur annually. After this CDC report was issued, President Obama tasked the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) to create a detailed report and recommendations for combating antibiotic resistance in the U.S.
This report, issued by PCAST in September, details almost a year of work in researching federal government priorities for combating antibiotic resistance. CDDEP Director Ramanan Laxminarayan participated in the working group that helped create the initial draft of the report, as one of 15 non-federal experts consulted on the critical issues regarding antibiotic resistance and plans for the future.
The report, along with the National Strategy on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, will guide a newly-created interagency task force in establishing a comprehensive plan for the governmentto fight this public health crisis. President Obama issued an executive order on September 19th creating the task force and charging the nation with addressing the challenge of antibiotic resistance.
The PCAST report emphasizes practical and actionable recommendations, and focuses on eight instructions for the U.S. federal government:
–Ensure Strong Federal Leadership
–Effective Surveillance & Response for Antibiotic Resistance
–Fundamental Research
–Clinical Trials with New Antibiotics
–The Federal Government should significantly increase economic incentives for developing urgently needed antibiotics
–Improving Stewardship of Existing Antibiotics in Health Care
–Limit the Use of Antibiotics in Animal Agriculture
–Ensure Effective International Coordination
