October 2015

This week, the ATS joined a letter from the U.S. Stakeholder Forum on Antibiotic Resistance (S-FAR) in support of increased federal funding to address antibiotic resistance. The letter is addressed to the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations committees and urges them to provide increased funding in fiscal year 2016 for antibiotic resistance prevention and control activities, antibiotic stewardship, and research to develop new antibiotic drugs, diagnostics and vaccines through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and other agencies, as outlined in the President's Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, released in March 2015. The letter notes that antibiotic resistance threatens public health, national security and patients, particularly vulnerable populations such as immune-compromised individuals, the elderly, pre-term infants and others. The budget deal approved by Congress this week should now permit some funding increases for antibiotic resistance efforts.