In the ongoing battle against infectious diseases, a new enemy has arrived: superbugs. These drug-resistant bacteria are undermining medical advances, taking lives, and costing our federal healthcare programs billions of dollars. The growth of these superbugs is a ticking time bomb that demands action now.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a result of the process that happens when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve and stop responding to antimicrobial drugs. Meaning infections that were once easy to treat can become deadly. Every time we use an antibiotic, there’s a chance that bacteria could become resistant to it. As drug resistance grows, our ability to treat infections gets smaller, and the development of new treatments has not kept pace. AMR already causes over 35,000 deaths in the United States annually, and COVID-19 only worsened this crisis, contributing to a 15% increase in AMR infections and deaths in 2020 alone. It has been estimated that by 2050, 10 million people per year — that’s one person every three seconds — is going to be dying from a superbug infection. That’s more than the current annual cancer deaths.
The financial burden of these bugs is extraordinary. Treating AMR infections in healthcare settings costs $5.8 billion in direct medical care each year, and an additional $7.2 billion in economic losses. And if we don’t act, the future looks even worse. By 2037, the annual costs to Medicare and Medicaid from AMR infections could increase from $1.2 to $2.2 billion, and up to $8.7 billion due to excess deaths.
Even with no increase in the rate of drug-resistant infections, in 2037 AMR is projected to cause an additional 1,624 deaths annually, with 341,181 extra days spent in the hospital, costing $2.5 billion. However, if just 1 in 4 infections becomes drug-resistant, these numbers rise to 10,916 additional deaths, 646,578 extra hospital days, and $11 billion in total costs. In the worst-case scenario, where all infections are drug-resistant, the impact could skyrocket to 16,699 deaths, 2.6 million extra hospital days, and $22.4 billion in total costs, showing a 9% increase.
So, what can be done? The answer is in smart policy reforms. We need new medicines to treat these infections but developing them requires a sustainable environment for antimicrobial research and development. The best step toward this goal is the PASTEUR Act. The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Upsurging Resistance Act is a legislative proposal that would create a subscription-like payment model to ensure a return on investment for high-need antimicrobials. As it stands, the marketplace for these antibiotics is broken, with companies going bankrupt trying to develop and deliver a new antibiotic that will be used sparingly to preserve its effectiveness and ultimately never recoup the R&D invested. The PASTEUR Act would address the broken marketplace, helping to ensure there is a constant supply of effective drugs, while preventing overuse.
The time to act is now. By supporting policies like the PASTEUR Act and educating the community about the dangers and costs of AMR and superbugs, we can help bring awareness to this issue.
The health and economic future of our country depends on our ability to fight these superbugs. By acting today, we can prevent the consequences that loom on the horizon and safeguard the future for generations to come.
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