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H.R. 2400 Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance (STAAR) Act
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Summary
H.R. 2400 seeks to amend the Public Health Service Act to enhance efforts to address antimicrobial resistance. Enactment of H.R. 2400 would establish an Antimicrobial Resistance Office and a Public Health Antimicrobial Advisory Board in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The bill also has provisions for the collection of antimicrobial drug data and the establishment of antimicrobial resistance surveillance and research network sites.
AVMA Position: Non-support
Justification:
The AVMA supports the emphasis on research and data collection, yet also expresses a need for a focus on outcomes of use rather than simply quantity. The AVMA also stresses the importance of scientifically valid and meaningful collection and review of data for all uses of antimicrobials and other pharmaceuticals used in humans and animals, urging that such data be collected in concert with other data necessary to explain or inform fluctuations in use, such as disease prevalence, regional data, and populations of animals.
The STAAR Act does not require, but states that the FDA may consult with the Antimicrobial Resistance Task Force prior to granting approval to any antimicrobial drug application. This option has the potential to politicize the drug approval process, with the potential for biases and political agendas to negatively impact the current drug approval process. Additionally, the details for data collection required by the STAAR Act are unclear and the AVMA cautions that there may be potential for bias and confounded data interpretation.
AVMA Contact: Dr. Ashley Shelton, Assistant Director, AVMA Governmental Relations at 202-289-3210 or ashelton@avma.org.
AS 08/05/09
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= AVMA/SAVMA Members Only
