WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today signed on as a cosponsor to the bipartisan Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act, which will spur development of new antibiotics to combat the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

While antibiotics are widely used by doctors to treat common infections, an increasing number of strains of bacterial infections are immune to existing antibiotics. The GAIN Act will encourage drug-makers to invest in the research and development of innovative antibiotics, and streamline the regulatory process so that pioneering infectious disease products can reach patients. Antibiotic-resistant infections are on the rise, causing tens of thousands of deaths each year — disproportionately affecting veterans, children and the elderly — and leading to $26 billion in extra costs annually to the U.S. health care system.

“The rise of lethal new strains of bacteria has made it imperative that the government takes immediate action to support the development of new drugs to combat these deadly germs,” Senator Coons said. “This legislation will spur innovation that will protect the health of our citizens and support jobs here in Delaware. I will continue to work with my colleagues in the Senate to support innovative pharmaceutical research that will keep Delawareans safe and healthy.”

The GAIN Act was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.).

“Superbugs, or mutant germs resistant to present antibiotics, are a growing public health horror – now targeted through this bipartisan proposal to speed creation and approval of new drugs against them,” Senator Blumenthal said. “The threat of these new resistant bacterial infections, particularly threatening to children, seniors, and our returning troops, requires innovative antibiotics. Incentives for research and development and fast track FDA review are needed to stop these bacteria and infections from spreading.”

"Drug-resistant infections in Tennessee and across our country are posing an increasing threat to public health, and the federal government can play a constructive role in helping spur innovation of new drugs for treating these conditions,” Senator Corker said. “Without putting any federal dollars at stake, our bill provides meaningful market incentives to encourage development of new antibiotics that will help save lives and reduce health care costs. By strengthening this segment of the market that currently has only a handful of new drugs in the pipeline, we can help ensure Americans have access to treatments capable of combating these deadly infections.”

Antibiotic resistant “superbugs” have been on the rise for the last decade: antibiotic-resistant Staph infections have increased 50 percent and are responsible for over 17,000 deaths in the United States each year.

Troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are particularly vulnerable to infection by a new, highly-resistant and contagious strain of Acinetobacter bacteria. Eighty-nine percent of infections caused by mutant strains of Acinetobacter are resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics and 15 percent are resistant to all forms of treatment.

Representatives Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) and Diana Degette (D-Colo.) introduced the GAIN Act in the U.S. House of Representatives in June.

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