In the US alone, antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections contributed to nearly 173,000 deaths in 2019. That same year, antibiotic-resistant "superbug" infections were involved in the deaths of nearly 5 million people across the globe. So many modern medical advances—cancer chemotherapy, hip and knee replacements, cesarian sections, organ transplants and more—carry a significant risk of infection and rely on the availability of safe and effective antimicrobials, which are in increasingly short supply. Transformative action on AMR is essential to save lives, reduce health care costs and maintain the standard of healthcare Americans deserve.
Despite the vital need for antimicrobials as part of virtually any pandemic or public health emergency response, the medicines the U.S. relies upon to treat serious infections have remained largely the same for nearly 40 years and are increasingly ineffective against quickly evolving bacteria and fungi.
The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act supports both antimicrobial development and stewardship to help ensure that these lifesaving drugs are available when Americans need them most. The pervasive nature of multidrug-resistant superbugs combined with the chronically broken pipeline of urgently needed new drugs underscores the grim reality that we cannot wait any longer to pass this crucial legislation.
- Sponsor Letter to House Leadership on Authorization-Only Passage of PASTEUR Act
- PASTEUR Act in Action Infographic
- “Action To Fight Superbugs Needed Now To Protect Health, Save Lives, And Reduce Medicare And Medicaid Spend.”
- Fact Sheet: Human and Economic Toll of Increase in Resistant Infections
- Superbugs Are Here. The Time to Act Is Now.
- Superbugs Can Affect Anyone
- Global AMR Diary
- PASTEUR Act Stakeholder Support Letter
- PASTEUR Act Sponsors’ Summary