Pew Urges Congress to Spur Development of Antibiotics

Statement on the Generating Antibiotics Incentives Now Act Introduced Today

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sharon Ladin, director of the Pew Health Group's Antibiotics and Innovation Project, issued the following statement regarding the Generating Antibiotics Incentives Now (GAIN) Act (H.R. 2182), introduced today by Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) and co-sponsored by Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Gene Green (D-Texas), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) and John Shimkus (R-Ill.).  The bill contains provisions to incentivize the creation of new antibiotics to combat serious drug-resistant infections.

"Antibiotics save millions of lives each year.  Yet our current arsenal of these life-saving medicines is dangerously low, tens of thousands of Americans are dying each year from drug-resistant infections and too few new antibiotics are in the pipeline.

"We applaud Representatives Gingrey, Green, DeGette, Eshoo, Rogers, Whitfield and Shimkus for introducing the GAIN Act, a bipartisan bill that addresses market failures that are stifling antibiotic innovation.  This legislation represents an important first step.

"We look forward to working with the sponsors of the GAIN Act and their colleagues in Congress—as well as regulators, industry, public health officials, doctors and scientists—to overcome the unique economic, scientific and regulatory challenges facing antibiotics developers and enable them to deliver new, life-saving medicines to the growing number of people who urgently need them."

Pew Health Group
The Pew Health Group is the health and consumer-product safety arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonprofit organization that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. www.pewtrusts.org/health

SOURCE The Pew Health Group