Good Day BIO: Why we need PASTEUR – and more trees

Today, more evidence of the need to pass PASTEUR—before it’s too late. Plus, a new study explores how deforestation led to more bat-borne diseases. (619 words, 3 minutes, 5 seconds)

Why we need the PASTEUR Act, now

90% of infectious disease physicians and pharmacists consider antimicrobial resistance (AMR) a “major problem,” finds a new survey by the Sepsis Alliance. But there’s something we can do about it.

The experts are right: Drug-resistant microbes contributed to 5 million deaths in 2019—and the problem’s only getting worse as the pandemic, antibiotic misuse, and climate change exacerbate infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance.

The PASTEUR Act could help,as we’ve been reporting. The bipartisan bill would ensure a minimum return for effective new antimicrobials so drugmakers can afford to pursue them.

And society would win: The return on investment of legislation like the PASTEUR Act over 30 years is estimated savings of 9.9 million lives and $4.9 trillion in value of disability-adjusted life years, finds the Center for Global Development.

But some propose the legislation only support antimicrobials proven superior to existing treatments—which is different than the current FDA standard of showing a treatment is equally good as existing ones, says Carlos del Rio, President of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

A “superiority” standard “can put patients’ lives at risk” and complicate trials by preventing some participants from receiving the new drugs, he wrote in STAT News. We need many treatments, not a single treatment.

Join BIO in supporting the PASTEUR Act, without amendments. Time is running out—contact your legislators now.

Fewer trees mean more disease, study finds

We’ve long known deforestation has driven outbreaks of diseases like malaria, Ebola, and Lyme—and a new study of Australian fruit bats explains why.

Deforestation has caused bats to live closer to humans—which provides them with food that’s plentiful yet less healthy than their wild diet, weakening their immune systems.

The result: Farm and domestic animals are exposed to more bat pathogens, which can then be passed on to humans, the study says.

The study looked at Hendra virus, which killed more than a dozen horses, sickened a stablehand, and killed a horse trainer in 1994. Health officials ultimately traced the virus to fruit bats and their loss of environment, says The New York Times’ report on the study.

It’s not just deforestation—climate change is another human-driven cause of an increase in zoonotic disease as well as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

“AMR challenges cannot be understood or addressed separately from the triple planetary crisis—the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste,” said U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen, announcing the launch of a common U.N. platform to address AMR by addressing the health of humans, animals, and the environment holistically.  



More News: 

OLS: BioOhio relaunches as Ohio Life Sciences (OLS), a new brand and reorganization reflecting the dynamic life sciences ecosystem in the state of Ohio
“There is tremendous momentum in Ohio’s life sciences ecosystem and an opportunity to improve the economic, health, and social well-being of residents across our state by advancing this industry,” said Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “As science within the economy advances, the rebrand and refocus of a new OLS is the right move in advocating and accelerating growth for Ohio’s innovative companies, organizations, and talent.”

The Washington Post: Cutting-edge tech made this tiny country a major exporter of food
The Netherlands “has become the world’s second-largest exporter of agricultural products by value behind the United States. Perhaps even more significant in the face of a warming planet: It is among the largest exporters of agricultural and food technology.”

President Biden’s Tuesday: The COVID-19 response team is scheduled to give a briefing, when they are expected to talk about the success of the vaccine campaign, including getting 35 million Americans to receive the updated COVID-19 boosters. After, Biden flies to Nantucket for Thanksgiving vacation.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The Senate has a closed intelligence hearing, and the House is in recess.