Antibiotic Resistance
The lack of effective antibiotics is a global concern with the potential to affect all humans and domesticated animals. It threatens to undermine the effectiveness of modern health care. An ever-widening range of bacteria, causing a spectrum of diseases in humans and animals is becoming resistant to the most available antibiotics. Unchecked, escalating antibiotic resistance will lead to the global spread of untreatable infections and massive deterioration health and loss of life. It will also make most surgery impossible and end organ transplantation and cancer chemotherapy.
As a member of the Antibiotic Resistance Coalition, Public Citizen recognizes that antibiotic resistance threatens to undermine the effectiveness of modern medicine. More and more strains of bacteria are resistant to an ever-rising number of antibiotics, with no new antibiotics on the horizon to treat some of the most serious infections. The change is global and accelerating. Millions of people are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year; hundreds of thousands lose their lives. The toll will increase.
A number of policies are contributing to the acceleration of the trend, including inadequate regulation and control of the sale and use of antibiotics in animals and humans, unrestrained marketing of the pharmaceutical industry, misuse of antibiotics in human medicine, industrial food animal production and more. The policy frameworks for research and development are further fueling resistance without advancing innovation – failing to ensure access to treatment for all people while allowing excessive and irrational use.
Resources
- Public Citizen writes to Congress opposing efforts to speed new antibiotics approval by weakening FDA standards (September 19, 2014)
- Antibiotic Resistance Coalition’s Declaration on Antibiotic Resistance (May 22, 2014)
- Antibiotic Resistance Coalition Press Release: ‘Act now, or face catastrophic post-antibiotic era’ (May 22, 2014)
- CitizenVox: Public Citizen Joins Partners in Calling for Action Against Antibiotic Resistance
- WHO Member States pass resolution on antimicrobial drug resistance, including antibiotic resistance (May 24, 2014)
- European Parliament resolution of 11 December 2012 on the Microbial Challenge – Rising threats from Antimicrobial Resistance (December 11, 2012)
- World Health Assembly Resolution EB134.R13: Combating Antimicrobial Resistance, Including Antibiotic Resistance
- WHO fact sheet and surveillance report on antimicrobial resistance