On March 27, 2015, the Obama Administration released its National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (NAP), a five-year, government-wide plan to address the spread of resistant bacteria. The main components of the strategy, which identifies roles for the public and private sectors, are as follows:

  1. Slow the emergence of resistant bacteria and prevent the spread of resistant infections through the judicious use of antibiotics in health care and agriculture settings;
  2. Strengthen national “One-Health” surveillance efforts to track resistant bacteria in diverse settings in a timely fashion.
  3. Advance development and use of rapid and innovative diagnostic tests to allow health care providers to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections and recommend appropriate, targeted treatment.
  4. Accelerate basic and applied research and development, including through streamlining the drug development process and increasing the number of candidate drugs in development.
  5. Improve international collaboration and capacities to monitor antibiotic resistance, spur therapeutics and diagnostics development, and strengthen regional networks and global partnerships that help prevent and control the emergence and spread of resistance.