On behalf of our community, the Spina Bifida Association supports the Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance — PASTEUR Act (H.R. 2940 / S. 1355), a bipartisan proposal that, if passed, will encourage the development of new antibiotics, and promote appropriate use of existing ones. The PASTEUR Act is targeted legislation that would be an important step in addressing the growing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis.
THE ASK
The Act has bipartisan support and is gaining momentum. We ask that you lend your voice in support of the PASTEUR Act by contacting your member of Congress.
You can easily send a message to your members of Congress by clicking here and following the prompts. If you questions, please contact [email protected].
WHAT IS THE PASTEUR ACT?
What are antimicrobials? Antimicrobials – including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals and antiparasitics – are medicines used to prevent and treat infections in humans, animals and plants.
What is antimicrobial resistance (AMR)? Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, and death. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat. The emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens threatens the ability to treat common infections.
How is an antimicrobial-resistant infection connected to sepsis? Antimicrobial resistance challenges the treatment of sepsis. As more pathogens become resistant to available antibiotics, more people are at risk for developing sepsis, and there are less opportunities for successful treatment.
Why is the PASTEUR Act So Important? The PASTEUR Act encourages the development of new antimicrobial medicines and would help to keep the ones we already have working effectively. This is an issue of critical importance to patients who face serious, acute, and chronic health conditions, including people living with Spina Bifida.
Despite the increasingly urgent need for antimicrobial products antimicrobials are often incredibly expensive and time-consuming to develop, command much less than other drugs, and are used as sparingly as possible. These factors make it difficult for new products to stay on the market and for their developers to stay in business.
The passage of the PASTEUR Act will incentivize the development of novel antimicrobials and fund antimicrobial stewardship programs to make sure that the effectiveness of the antimicrobials that we currently have is protected. It will jumpstart the development of desperately needed new antimicrobial drugs to fight resistant bacteria and ensure these life-saving drugs are used appropriately to deliver optimal patient outcomes and prevent drug resistance.
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW
Add Your Voice to This Important Issue The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act is gaining momentum in the House and Senate. Please ask your members of Congress to support this Act. Without passage, antimicrobial resistance will continue to increase, and people will continue to contract and suffer from potentially deadly infections. Send a message now to urge your members of Congress to pass the PASTEUR Act.