National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

The federal government in March 2015 released its National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (CARB).

The plan outlines five main goals for combating antibiotic resistance:

1. Promote the judicious use of antibiotics in health care and agriculture.
2. Strengthen surveillance efforts and data collection.
3. Further the development of new diagnostics.
4. Support research efforts for the development of new therapeutics.
5. Improve international collaboration on efforts to prevent and control the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Each of these goals has accompanying milestones to be achieved within the next five years, which together serve as a roadmap for federal agencies working to “address urgent and serious drug-resistant threats that affect people in the U.S. and around the world.” Sustained federal funding and an ongoing bipartisan commitment from our nation’s leaders will be essential to implementing the CARB and making progress in the fight against antibiotic resistance.

The table below contains key information from the plan, including the goals and milestones with their associated lead agencies and appropriations subcommittees, broken out by the year in which the milestones are meant to be completed.