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Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, viruses, and fungi are the next pandemics. But, we're not developing new treatments because the antimicrobials market is broken.
The PASTEUR Act can fix it.
On April 27, a bipartisan group of legislators re-introduced the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Upsurging Resistance (or PASTEUR) Act. The PASTEUR Act is a response to growing antibiotic resistance, which is making infections more difficult to treat, and the lack of economic incentive for pharmaceutical companies to invest in developing new drugs.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites mutate and no longer respond to these existing medicines. As a result, treating common infections becomes harder, or in some cases impossible, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death.
Over the past few decades, we have been irresponsible with these life-saving drugs. American healthcare is rife with the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials, which has sped up resistance while also contributing to an epidemic of diseases, including Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). There are more than 500,000 CDI cases annually in the US, and more than 29,000 Americans die. Despite that, it has been over a decade since a new antimicrobial has been available for this disease.
The PASTEUR Act seeks to fix this broken market and improve public health by keeping new antibiotics on the market and improving stewardship across the healthcare system. Specifically, the PASTEUR Act would:
This legislation is vital to our families' well-being, our healthcare system's maintenance, and our global health. Please ask your legislators to become co-sponsors today.
Tell Congress to Pass the PASTEUR Act
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