A call for more resources to be allocated toward combatting antibiotic resistance (AMR) has been made in the US by President Barak Obama’s administration, backed by a recognition that increased coordination and partnership working is also needed to address the issue.
New proposals, contained in a 40-page report produced by the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB), feature the following list of overarching issues and recommendations:
- Fully embrace a One Health approach; with One Health defined as multiple disciplines and professions working locally, nationally and globally to achieve optimal health in the human, animal and environmental domains.
- Coordination of the federal response: The importance of a coordinated effort across agencies and departments cannot be minimised.
- Resource allocation: Combating AMR requires an adequate resource base to slow down, control, and hopefully reverse the problem. Simply stated, the US government must commit sufficient resources to solving the problem with funding continued over a long period of time.
- Development of critical partnerships: The US government has neither sufficient resources, omniscience about the problems, nor a sufficient pool of expertise to unilaterally solve the problem of AMR.
- Economic incentives for developing and deploying new diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic tools: Solving AMR will require new modalities, such as new antibiotics, vaccines, and diagnostics.
The report also states that during the next “several months”, PACCARB will gather relevant information about US government activities and progress on AMR.
“As part of this process,” it is added, “we intend to continue to engage stakeholders beyond our membership, and, in the short term, seek broader feedback through the Federal Register to gather general and specific input from the many stakeholders who are also deeply concerned about this issue.”
