Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee,
As you consider policies that seek to protect those with rare diseases, we appreciate that you are reviewing AMR-related legislation and write to strongly urge your consideration of the PASTEUR Act. Indeed, the PASTEUR Act is the bipartisan solution to this challenge that impacts everyone, not the least of which are those living with rare diseases. As the Committee of jurisdiction over public health, there should be no greater priority than addressing the threat of antimicrobial resistance. AMR is a threat to everyone and is responsible for more deaths globally than malaria and HIV combined. Someone in the United States gets an antibiotic resistant infection every 11 seconds, and every 15 minutes, someone dies. In total, AMR causes more than 35,000 deaths in the United States each year.
AMR is also a huge driver of costs. Nationally, the annual healthcare costs of AMR-associated infections acquired in the community are $2.7 billion.
No one is immune from this threat. It impacts children developing ear infections or undergoing otherwise routine procedures like getting ear tubes; women undergoing a C-section; patients battling cancer; and those receiving joint replacements. While resistant infections are not rare, their impact is acutely felt by people living with rare diseases, including NTM and cystic fibrosis. Our entire medical system relies on effective antimicrobials to prevent and treat infections. Without effective antimicrobials routine illnesses become life-threatening and the risks of common medical procedures increase dramatically.
We appreciate that Congress has a number of priorities involving the public’s health, and has a limited amount of time to consider these issues this year. But we also urge you to consider the fact that the threat of AMR extends into every aspect of public health, the problem is getting worse, and the rate of resistance is accelerating. Put simply, there is no time to waste.
Too often, Congress waits for a crisis to build before it acts. But the fact is, the crisis of AMR is present today, and the time for action is now. In 2020, there was a 15% increase in hospital-onset AMR infections and deaths. The PASTEUR Act fundamentally addresses the broken marketplace that is standing in the way of the development and commercialization of new antimicrobials and supports the appropriate use of antimicrobials to help prevent resistance. It is a bipartisan, bicameral solution that has the support of the patient, infectious disease physician, and research communities. We urge you to prioritize the passage of the PASTEUR Act in this Congress.