A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the House Committee on Appropriations to allocate more funding to fight antibiotic resistance on a federal level.
Sixty-three congressional representatives penned the April 28 letter to House appropriators, requesting $672 million in fiscal year 2022 be allocated for the CDC's Antibiotic Resistance Solutions Initiative.
The lawmakers also asked for $100 million to expand antibiotic resistance data collection in healthcare facilities through the National Healthcare Safety Network and $300 million to increase development of products to prevent, detect or treat resistant infections, among other funding requests.
"Drug-resistant infections sicken at least 2.8 million and kill at least 35,000 people annually in the U.S," they wrote. "Globally, over 700,000 people die each year, accounting for a cost as high as $1.2 trillion. If we do not act now, by 2050 antibiotic resistant infections will be the leading cause of death — surpassing cancer — and could cost the world $100 trillion."
To view the full letter, click here.