President signs executive order to fight antibiotic resistance

The fight against antibiotic resistance has moved to the highest levels of government after President Barack Obama last week signed an executive order creating a task force to study the issue. The task force will submit a detailed plan by February to implement the federal government’s strategy, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The new strategy calls for steps to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and research and development of new antibiotics by 2020. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug-resistant infections are linked to 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths in the U.S. annually.

A new report from the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recommends $900 million in spending to track and research antibiotic resistance and to promote appropriate antibiotic use. The report also urges the Food and Drug Administration to create new regulatory pathways to evaluate antibiotics and CMS to develop hospital requirements for antibiotic use by 2017.

Read the article here.