Incentivizing Development of New Antibiotics

A subscription-based pull mechanism, in which the government guarantees a yearly payment to successful antibiotic developers, is being considered as a way to incentivize development of new antibiotics.

The US is likely to see a very high return on investment from this program, with benefits both domestically and globally.

This program has the potential to save many lives, both in the US and globally.

The proposed PASTEUR Act would allocate $6 billion over ten years to subscription payments for new antibiotics, with payment varying based on each new agent's efficacy and degree of innovation.

The average cost estimate for the US share of a subscription payment ($2.1 billion per drug, on average) is thus aligned with the payment parameters suggested under the proposed PASTEUR Act.

Our findings suggest a very high return on investment from a US subscription program to incentivise the development of new antimicrobials.

Our estimates are robust to many different scenarios and parameters, with high impact both within the US and worldwide in averting deaths, reducing morbidity, and helping contain healthcare expenditure.

These findings offer a strong rationale for the US Congress to pass and fully fund the PASTEUR Act and for the US government to press for coordinated international action across its G7 and G20 partners.

Indeed, the June 2022 communique from the G7 meeting included the words “strengthen research and innovation for new antibiotics in international partnerships, and incentivise the development of new antimicrobial treatments with a particular emphasis on pull incentives.”

We conclude that the US Congress has excellent legislation on the docket that would protect American citizens, yield huge returns, and create a safer, healthier world. We encourage the US Congress to urgently finance and authorise the PASTEUR Act, leveraging American ingenuity to boost our shared health future.

Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem that is causing serious health problems.

Antibiotic resistance is caused by the overuse of antibiotics, and new antibiotics are needed to fight against this problem.

There are many factors that contribute to antibiotic resistance, and new policies are needed to address all of these factors.

New policies are needed to incentivize the development of new antibiotics, and to ensure that these antibiotics are available to patients who need them.

New policies are also needed to address the cost of antibiotic resistance, and to make sure that patients have access to these drugs.