White House Rolls Out 'Superbug' and Antibiotics Plan

The Obama administration released a detailed plan on Friday in response to the problem of antibiotic resistance, which includes milestones in a bid to test the plan in years to come.

Drug-resistant bacteria, also known as "superbugs," kill 23,000 people a year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists from around the world have warned that superbugs could become one of the major global killers barring major actions.

"Over-prescribing is a serious problem," Obama said. "We need to give doctors the information and guidance they need to make the right call in hard situations."

"Studies have consistently shown that a lot of America's antibiotic use is unnecessary," Obama added. He said he hopes his plan will create a system to show real-time rates of antibiotic use and where cases of drug resistance are being reported. "If we can see where these drugs are being over-prescribed, we can target our interventions where they're needed most."

The 63-page National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (NAP)  was developed by a task force made up of representatives from at least a dozen federal agencies.  This is the first-ever long-term and government-wide plan to fight the spread of superbugs and antibiotic resistance.

According to Reuters, "The goals include drastically reducing the rates of the most deadly 'superbug' infections within five years, investing in new diagnostic tools and antibiotic drugs, and improving antibiotic use. Other tactics include surveillance and prescribing practices in livestock and hospitals and increasing international collaboration through foreign ministries of health and the World Health Organization."

The White House said the plan's aspirations are "consistent" with the president's fiscal 2016 budget proposal, which seeks more than $1 billion to combat antibiotic resistance.

However, critics of the plan say it fails to address one of the principle sources of antibiotic overuse which is the farming industry. 

"The Obama Administration needs to do more to reduce antibiotic use in animals that are not sick," the Natural Resources Defense Council said. 

"Our government should be taking steps to reduce antibiotics to protect our health, rather than protecting poor industry practices."