April 2016

This week, the Presidential Advisory Council on Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria held its second meeting in Washington, DC.  The Council, comprising 15 experts  and chaired by Martin Blaser, MD, director of the Human Microbiome Program at New York University School of Medicine, , was set up in September 2015 to provide advice recommendations to the Health and Human Services Secretary on programs and policies to combat antibiotic resistance.

The Council heard presentations from the Department of Health and Human Services on federal funding for programs to combat antibiotic resistance and from the U.S. Agency for International Development on implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis. Following these presentations, the chairs of the Council's five workgroups on antibiotic stewardship — health surveillance, diagnostic innovations, treatment, prevention and control research, and development and international collaboration – presented reports with recommendations in each of these areas. A key recommendation across all of the workgroups was the need for sustained and enhanced funding for antibiotic resistance programs and activities.