Congress approves an increase in funds for the FDA to attack antibiotic-resistance

WASHINGTON - On Tuesday the House of Representatives — as part of the conference report on H.R. 2330, the FY 2002 appropriations bill for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies — approved an additional $3 million for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) activities related to antibiotic drugs. The Senate is expected to pass the conference report this week.

     “These additional FDA funds are an essential ingredient for attacking antibiotic resistance,” said Tamar Barlam, M.D., of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “We commend Representative Brown for his leadership in recognizing — well before anthrax highlighted the importance of effective antibiotics — the need for the Federal government to help solve the growing health crisis of antibiotic-resistant infections.”

     The House had originally passed, by a vote of 271-140, an amendment offered by Representative Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) on June 27 that would have increased by $5 million FDA funding to combat antibiotic resistance. The Senate version of the bill had no comparable provision.