Exclusive: WebMD Interviews President Obama About Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistance

President Answers Questions About New National Action Plan

News provided by

Mar 27, 2015, 06:05 ET

NEW YORK, March 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD), the leading source of health information, today announced an exclusive White House interview on the new National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. During the interview, President Obama emphasized the urgency and importance of addressing antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their impact on national and global health.

The WebMD interview, available online at http://blogs.webmd.com/breaking-news/2015/03/exclusive-obama-on-antibiotic-resistance.html, provides readers with unique access to insights and commentary from President Obama about the role of antibiotics in modern health care, the threat of "superbugs" arising from antibiotic resistance, and what patients, doctors, communities, and our nation can do to reduce this threat. The interview offers insight from the president into the topic of antibiotic resistance and how it fits into the national agenda.

"WebMD continues to be a trusted source for public health information, and we are privileged to be the first news organization to provide President Obama's perspective about the Action Plan," said Steve Zatz, president, WebMD. "Our goal in conducting this interview with the president is to shed light on this important issue and address the questions of greatest interest to our audience."

The White House announced its intention to curb the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in September 2014. President Obama's budget for 2016 includes more than $1.2 billion in investments to support these actions. The Action Plan, releasing today, outlines steps for implementing the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that drug-resistant bacteria cause 23,000 deaths and 2 million illnesses each year in the United States, and also impact other parts of American life including animal health, agriculture, and the economy.

The Action Plan is organized around five goals for collaborative action by the U.S. government, in partnership with foreign governments, individuals, and organizations aiming to strengthen health care, public health, veterinary medicine, agriculture, food safety, and research and manufacturing.

For President Obama's commentary and details regarding the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (including the full discussion between President Obama and WebMD), please visit: http://blogs.webmd.com/breaking-news/2015/03/exclusive-obama-on-antibiotic-resistance.html and http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/842160.

For more in-depth coverage of the National Action Plan, please visit: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/news/20150326/antibiotic-resistance-plan-news, http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/842146 and https://youtu.be/DzS1Ws6ifKY.

About WebMD
WebMD Health Corp. (NASDAQ: WBMD) is the leading provider of health information services, serving consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers, and health plans through our public and private online portals, mobile platforms and health focused publications. The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD.com, Medscape.com, MedicineNet.com, eMedicineHealth.com, RxList.com, Medscape Education (Medscape.org) and other WebMD owned sites and apps.

WebMD®, Medscape®, CME Circle®, Medpulse®, eMedicine®, MedicineNet®, theheart.org® and RxList® are among the trademarks of WebMD Health Corp. or its subsidiaries.

SOURCE WebMD Health Corp.