The Obama administration announced measures to address the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, unveiling a national strategy that includes incentives for the development of new drugs, tighter regulations of existing ones and strides in tracking the use of antibiotics and the bacteria that are resistant to them, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
Antibiotic resistance is considered a public health crisis that takes at least 23,000 lives a year, and the recent actions are the first major White House effort to confront it. Many experts were pleased that a president had finally focused on the issue, but some said the strategy fell short in not recommending tougher restrictions against the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture, which, they argue, is a big part of the growing problem.
The report calls for the government to spend $900 million to track and research antibiotic resistance and to promote the appropriate use of existing medication, among other initiatives. It recommends spending an additional $800 million a year to encourage the commercial development of new drugs.
The new measures come at the same time as the release of a report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, or PCAST, that reiterates that bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics in mostly because the drugs are being used too frequently in humans and also perhaps in animals raised for food.
As much as 50 percent of all antibiotics prescribed for U.S. patients are either unnecessary or not optimally prescribed, according to the CDC, The Wall Street Journal reported.
"This brewing problem has become a crisis," the PCAST report warns.
The FDA has urged drug companies to voluntarily phase out antibiotics used to promote growth in commercial farm animals. The goal is to eliminate the practice of adding antibiotics to animals' drinking water or feed so that they will bulk faster and with less food. Farmers and ranchers also use antibiotics to treat and prevent diseases in the animals.
