The PASTEUR Act, legislation designed to make research & development of new antibiotics economically viable, was reintroduced in Congress last week with bipartisan support. Here’s what it would do and why it matters.
AMR is a big problem. AMR, or antimicrobial resistance, occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to antibiotics. If we don’t act, deaths from these “superbugs” could reach 10 million per year by 2050, about the same number as cancer.
But developing new antibiotics is challenging. “We have seen multiple antibiotic companies successfully develop antibiotics only to go bankrupt in the last five years,” Dr. Henry Skinner of the AMR Action Fund said during BIO Digital last week.
The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act would help. The bill was introduced last week by Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Todd Young (R-IN) and Reps. Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Drew Ferguson (R-GA); it was first introduced late last year.
Among other things, the bill would encourage companies to invest in new antibiotic development through a “subscription model,” by which the government would pay companies for access to antibiotics regardless of how many doses are sold, the cosponsors explain.
“Delinking revenues from sales volumes would give these companies the financial certainty they need to invest in the next generations of antibiotics,”BIO President and CEO Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath has written.
Why it matters: “We can't continue speaking about resistant infections becoming the leading cause of death in 20-30 years and not do anything about it now,” said Sen. Bennet during BIO Digital. “We have to rethink how to encourage development of the innovative antibiotics we need.”
BIO supports it. “BIO looks forward to working with lawmakers to continue to strengthen this legislation and other promising bipartisan reforms that will help deliver more innovative antimicrobial medicines to patients,” said Dr. Michelle.
P.S. ICYMI: Saturday was World Sickle Cell Day. We also want to give a shoutout to bluebird bio, which is working on a breakthrough, one-time gene therapy for sickle cell disease. The phase 3 trial is currently underway, with regulatory filings expected this year. Read more about how biotech is working towards a cure for this debilitating disease.
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