Bipartisan group in Congress urge action on antibiotic resistance

Several Congressional leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives are urging federal government officials to take action on the recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotic resistance occurs when germs develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. These are also called “superbugs.”

The GAO’s report – titled “Antibiotic Resistance: Additional Federal Actions Needed to Better Determine Magnitude and Reduce Impact” – was done at the request of U.S. House and Senate leaders. It builds upon oversight conducted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

“Antibiotic resistance is a serious concern, especially as health care providers grapple with the coronavirus pandemic and more and more COVID-19 patients present with secondary bacterial infections,” Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Greg Walden (R-OR), Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Brett Guthrie (R-KY) said in a statement about the GAO report. “Given the urgency of the threat of antibiotic resistance, this report presents important findings and underscores the need for further research to determine the level of antibiotic resistance in the U.S. and around the world. We look forward to reviewing these recommendations in-depth, continuing our ongoing oversight of this issue, and working in a bipartisan way to address the challenges highlighted by this report.”

Pallone is chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, while Walden is the ranking member.