Testifying to Congress on Antibiotics

Kevin Outterson (third from left), the Boston University School of Law Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Law, testified Friday, April 28, to a House of Representatives Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing on antimicrobial resistance. The founding director of CARB-X, a BU-led nonprofit aiming to foster the development of new antibiotics and vaccines, Outterson advocated for a shift in how antibiotics are paid for. “Doctors are doing the right thing by being careful with the newest antibiotics; they put them on the shelf behind glass like a fire extinguisher,” he told lawmakers. But while fire extinguisher manufacturers get paid “at the moment the preparedness starts, not when the fire starts…for antibiotics, we’re paying for them only after the fire starts.” Instead, Outterson proposed Congress create an antibiotic subscription payment model to reward innovation and ensure “Americans will get the new antibiotics we need.” Photo courtesy of House Energy and Commerce Committee