A Shared Resource
Just as we need to take action years in advance before our oil supply runs out, or before we’ve irrevocably destroyed our rainforests, we have to start fighting the battle now to preserve our antibiotic portfolio long before the consequences become dire and it’s too late to act.Read more
The Problem
Antibiotic resistance is a threat to public health. Its root causes lie in insufficient incentives for patients, physicians, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies to act in ways that would conserve antibiotic effectiveness.Read more
Why It Matters
Economic costs are not separate from the health costs of resistant infections, as sicker patients requiring longer hospital stays and stronger, more expensive antibiotic treatment generate additional costs to hospitals, health insurers, and the patients themselves.Read more
What We Can Do
While encouraging research and development into new antibiotics may be effective at replenishing the antibiotic pipeline, it must be linked to incentives for pharmaceutical companies to care about resistance. A congressional declaration that antibiotic effectiveness is a valuable societal resource could be necessary.Read more