Global Alert! Antimicrobial Resistance Threatens Global Health

Drug-resistant infections are outsmarting our medical defenses, opening a widening gap between rapidly evolving superbugs and a dwindling antibiotic pipeline. This situation puts millions of lives at risk worldwide.

According to an analysis published in The Lancet, antibiotic resistance is estimated to contribute to nearly 170 million deaths in the next 25 years. The need to kickstart innovation has never been more urgent, as only five of the 90 antibiotics in development in 2024 are effective against the World Health Organization's "critical priority" pathogens.

Antibiotics revolutionized medicine, saving lives by treating infections, but without them, procedures like knee surgery and cesarean sections would pose deadly risks. Drug-resistant bacteria already claim more than a million lives each year worldwide.

This health crisis comes with serious national security risks, as a lack of antibiotics will leave us vulnerable to biological threats. It will also harm both service members and civilians, similar to pandemics and natural disasters.

The effectiveness of an antibiotic diminishes with use, leading to judicious use that mitigates resistance but limits the market. Developing a single antibiotic can take over a decade and cost over $1 billion, with an estimated return on investment of -$50 million.

Many large biopharmaceutical companies have dropped out of antibiotic development, while small ones struggle to survive. Since 2017, nearly every company that developed antibiotics has either gone bankrupt, abandoned research, or been forced to sell.

Researchers estimate that developing new antibiotics and improving access to them would save the U.S. health care system $97 billion per year by 2050. The 'Pasteur Act' proposed in Congress, would create a subscription-style model between the federal government and companies that develop innovative antimicrobials.

Healthcare professionals would get access to these treatments, while companies would receive a predictable return, ensuring access to life-saving drugs for the most threatening infections.

If lawmakers do not pass the 'Pasteur Act' soon, they will put our economy, our national security, and countless lives in danger. Phyllis Arthur, executive vice president and head of healthcare policy and programs at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, emphasizes the urgency of this legislation.

Lawmakers have the opportunity to ensure that America is prepared for the antimicrobial resistance crisis before inaction makes the consequences irreversible.