ADAPT Act

The Antibiotic Development to Advance Patient Treatment (ADAPT) Act

For several years now, health care professionals, hospitals, academics, and public health experts have raised alarm about the increase of antibiotic-resistant infections. “Superbugs,” as they are commonly known, are a growing public health threat, particularly to vulnerable patients such as seniors, soldiers on the battlefield, and the chronically ill.

In response to this urgent unmet medical need, Reps. Gene Green (D-TX), Phil Gingrey, M.D., (R-GA), G.K. Butterfield, (D-NC), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), John Shimkus (R-IL), and Ed Whitfield (R-KY) introduced The Antibiotic Development to Advance Patient Treatment (ADAPT) Act of 2013. The ADAPT Act builds on the success of the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act, which was signed into law last year and has already helped to streamline 19 new antibacterial treatments through the FDA.

The ADAPT Act is the necessary next step in fighting the looming threat of untreatable infections. It would accelerate the development of new treatments by creating a new pathway for antibiotics and antifungals aimed at treating serious and life-threatening infections in a limited population of patients who lack effective therapeutic options.

The bill would also streamline the process by which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updates breakpoints information, which is used to inform doctors of the appropriate use and dosage of drugs. Doctors must have the best and most up-to-date information on which to base their decisions. This important improvement ensures health care professionals and medical researchers can access current and cutting edge data in a timely fashion.

Finally, the ADAPT Act would expand and strengthen CDC monitoring of bacterial resistance and the use of antibiotics to treat serious and life threatening infections and make this information publically available for providers, hospitals, and academics.

This legislation has received support in the House of Representatives and among the medical community. Click the links to see a full list of cosponsors and letters of support.

ADAPT Act Cosponsors

Alliance for Aging Research

Ambulatory Surgery Center Association

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Gastroenterolical Association

American Medial Association

American College of Preventative Medicine

Association of the United States Navy

AstraZeneca

Antimicrobial Innovation Alliance

American Thoracic Society

Cubist