Action Plan Outlines Goals, Objectives for National Strategy to Combat Antibiotic Resistance

​The White House has announced a five-year plan to combat antibiotic resistance. Developed in response to an executive order issued by President Barack Obama on September 18, 2014, the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria proposes five main goals: (1) to slow the emergence of resistant bacteria and prevent the spread of resistant infections; (2) to strengthen national one-health surveillance efforts to combat resistance; (3) to advance development and use of rapid and innovative diagnostic tests for identification and characterization of resistant bacteria; (4) to accelerate basic and applied research and development for new antibiotics, other therapeutics, and vaccines; and (5) to improve international collaboration and capacities for antibiotic-resistance prevention, surveillance, and control and antibiotic research and development.