Representatives Call on House Appropriators to Raise Resources to Combat AMR

More than 60 Congressional representatives from both sides of the aisle have called on House appropriators to significantly increase federal resources in the year ahead to tackle the growing crisis of infections that do not respond to available treatments.

In a letter led by Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), the House members call for increased funding across government agencies for strengthened antimicrobial resistance surveillance and prevention, antibiotic stewardship and research and development toward new infection-fighting medicines.

“Drug-resistant infections sicken at least 2.8 million and kill at least 35,000 people annually in the U.S.,” Rep. Pingree said. “If we do not act now, antibiotic resistant infections will be the leading cause of death worldwide by 2050 and could cost $100 trillion globally. The past year has demonstrated that we can’t be caught flat-footed on looming public health threats — Congress must allocate much-needed resources to significantly reduce the burden of antimicrobial resistance, funding important programs at CDC, NIH and HHS before it’s too late.” 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has made it very clear how important effective therapeutics and vaccines are to combat serious illnesses. We need research and innovation to create new antibiotics that will defeat dangerous illnesses,” Rep. Carter said. “As a pharmacist, I’ve seen miracles in modern medicine that have come a long way, but we can save more lives with the new drugs yet to be discovered and created.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America will continue to urge Congress to respond to the data with the funding needed to turn back the tide of antimicrobial resistance.