US interagency move on antibiotic resistance

19 January 2001

An 84-point action plan to halt the spread of antibiotic resistance inthe USA over the next five years has been published by a task force set up by 10 US government agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Inappropriate use of antibiotics is a major reason why drug-resistant bacteria have spread, says the plan, calling for the launch within the next one to two years of a nationwide campaign to improve understanding of the problems caused by overuse of antibiotics. Another priority is nationwide monitoring of the spread of antimicrobial resistance and patterns of drug use. "Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance is critical to providing early warning of emerging problems, monitoring changing patterns of resistance and targeting and evaluating prevention and control measures," it says.

The plan also includes the creation of an Interagency Antimicrobial Product Development Working Group, whose task it will be to encourage the development of new antimicrobial agents, vaccines, anti-infectives and diagnostic products. In addition, the National Institutes of Health will implement new programs to coordinate the development of new diagnostic tools and treatments for resistant microbes.

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