November 15, 2023
2 min read
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Key takeaways:
- Antimicrobial resistance and ID compensation are on the IDSA’s priority list.
- The IDSA is also focused on getting PEPFAR reauthorized.
The Infectious Diseases Society of America outlined its top policy priorities for the field of ID, including finding new ways to incentivize antibiotic development, increasing ID compensation and responding to global threats.
John Lynch, MD, MPH, FIDSA, a professor of medicine in the division of allergy and infectious diseases at the University of Washington School of Medicine, said antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains one of the specialty’s most concerning issues.
Data derived from IDSA.
“Many diseases in the world of infectious diseases are getting more challenging,” he said during a telebriefing for reporters. “So, we face this paradox in infectious diseases where many fields are progressing and seeing elimination or new treatments. We’re seeing additional challenges, hard-to-treat infections and new pathogens that are challenging all of us and our patients.”
Amanda Jezek, senior vice president for public policy and government relations at IDSA, said the IDSA is lobbying Congress to pass the Pasteur Act, which would fund research to develop “novel antibiotics that can actually work against these superbugs.”
The legislation, which was reintroduced by Democrats and Republicans in April, “would establish a subscription-style model [that] would offer antibiotic developers an upfront payment in exchange for access to their antibiotics, encouraging innovation and ensuring our health care system is prepared to treat resistant infections,” according to its sponsors in the U.S. House and Senate. This would replace the current system in which the government pays drug makers based on volume.
As the field continues to reckon with recruitment issues, Lynch said the ID workforce is spread thin and disproportionately throughout the country.
“That’s a challenge because every person is at risk for an infectious disease,” he said.
Jezek said IDSA members have recounted stories of physicians being interested in infectious diseases but shying away from the specialty because it is “significantly undervalued when compared to nearly all other medical specialties.”
“What we truly need is for Congress and CMS to level the playing field for ID so that this essential specialty is able to recruit and retain the workforce we need to meet the nation’s growing needs,” Jezek said.
She also said that part of protecting people in the United States from infectious diseases is protecting people in other parts of the world, which requires efforts to maintain international involvement in drug development and reauthorizing government programs such as the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), another policy priority. PEPFAR reauthorization, which was set to occur in September, is being held up by Republicans who argue the program is being used to promote abortion.
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