This is a Crisis that Should Alarm Everyone: Top Media Report on AMR

Antimicrobial resistance, one of IDSA’s top priorities, as well as the DISARM Act, IDSA-driven legislation to combat AMR, have been receiving significant media coverage in recent weeks – including high-profile articles in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. 

The New York Times spoke with IDSA Board Member Helen Boucher, M.D., FIDSA, for their front-page piece on the alarming news of drug companies shuttering their doors. In Crisis Looms in Antibiotics as Drug Makers Go Bankrupt, reporter Andrew Jacobs takes a deep dive into what Dr. Boucher called “a crisis that should alarm everyone.” In addition to Dr. Boucher, the piece includes input from representatives of several pharmaceutical companies including the interim chief executive of Melinta, which just last week filed for bankruptcy, who said, “these drugs are my babies, and they are so urgently needed.”

The Wall Street Journal also covered the story in Antibiotic Makers Struggle, Hurting War on Superbugs and spoke with Dr. Boucher who said, “We don’t know the fate of those drugs for our patients. As a physician, that’s my biggest concern.” Both pieces also include information about the DISARM act, which IDSA was involved in crafting and is urging legislators to support. IDSA members can lend their support by urging their members of congress to sign on using our action alert.

These are just two of the news pieces that IDSA and our member spokespersons contributed to, in addition to others in the pipeline. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to see the latest news and opinion pieces featuring IDSA, HIVMA and our members.