Paulsen leads legislation to combat rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

The research and development of new antibiotics and new rapid diagnostic tests would be encouraged under bipartisan legislation that U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN) introduced on Friday.

The Reinvigorating Antibiotic and Diagnostic Innovation (READI) Act would establish a new tax credit for the research and development of new antibiotics and new rapid diagnostic tests in response to antibiotic-resistant bacteria that now costs the U.S. health care system $20 billion per year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates.

“Bacterial infections are increasingly becoming a difficult, and sometimes grim, matter for many patients and their families across Minnesota, the country and the globe — but we can change that,” Paulsen said. “This bipartisan initiative will help drive research and development in antibiotics and reestablish the U.S. as a leader in this area.”

Each year, at least 2 million people in the United States are sickened by antibiotic-resistant infections, and approximately 23,000 of them die, the CDC reports.

Dr. Johan Bakken, the former president of the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), said antibiotic resistance has impacted the health system’s ability to provide solid organ and bone marrow transplants, joint replacements, chemotherapy, care of preterm infants, care of deep combat wounds, and other medical procedures that rely on safe and effective antibiotics.

“The READI Act will help spur the research and development of life-saving new antibiotics for our patients,” Bakken said.

Dr. Henry Chambers, an IDSA board member and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at San Francisco General Hospital, said most pharmaceutical companies have retreated from antibiotic research and development because of costs. “The READI Act will provide a much needed incentive for companies to develop the new antibiotics that patients so desperately need,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), who introduced the READI Act with Paulsen, said the antibiotic resistance presents a major threat and the pipeline for new antibiotics and diagnostics “isn’t as strong as it should be.”