The superbug crisis: Congress aims to encourage pharma to develop new antibiotics

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A bipartisan group of lawmakers last week reintroduced legislation to encourage innovative drug development targeting the most threatening infections, improve the appropriate use of antibiotics and ensure domestic availability of antibiotics when needed. The legislation is called the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act.

“Right now, we don’t have the tools to address the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance — and infectious disease experts are warning us that it will only get worse,” said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., who cosponsored the bill. “The bipartisan PASTEUR Act is the strongest bill ever written to strengthen antibiotic development and use. It will fix our market failures, expand the pipeline for next-generation antibiotics and save lives. We can’t sit on our hands as this public health crisis arrives — we have to act now.”