A Political Resolution to Antibiotic Resistance
Through the 20th century, antibiotics became the innovation that allowed the flourishing existence of human beings, where it was critical in the control of infection and allowed for stronger medical procedures that had invariably extended life. From its beginnings with Alexander Fleming’s discovery of the uses of penicillin (a widely used antibiotic), it has been considered a “wonder drug” with its widespread popularity post World War II, becoming a staple in industrialized medicine in the United States (Podolsky 27). With the increased prevalence of antibiotics beginning to fail in its earlier efficiency in treating bacterial infections, antibiotic resistant strains were established in the 1960s …show more content…
Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act of 2011 is a five-year period that allocates the rights of antibiotics (that treats life-threatening illnesses) solely to pharmaceutical industries, without competition of generic branding. The purpose of this legislation is to allow pharmaceutical companies to decrease their expenses to then focus on continuing in the research of other possible antibiotic solutions (Chin). Even though the GAIN Act is attempting to tackle the incentives of pharmaceutical involvement to provide further investigation to slow antibiotic resistance, Congress has diverted their efforts to resolve the issue over the rapid solutions over this antibiotic- resistance epidemic through the GAIN Act. The GAIN Act is predisposed to hinder the ability of solving its premonicent issue because it does not address antibiotic resistance of the newly developed drugs, therefore, creating the issue that the act was attempting to resolve: to decrease resistance. It does not include insurance reimbursement which does not correspond with the financial incentives of antibiotic prescriptions, where hospitals would not encourage antibiotic conservation as an economic advantage (Forsyth). Medical communities would be disinterested in following with precautionary measures in accordance of the understated ideal to combat the overuse of antibiotics. …show more content…
The Controlled Substances Act has constructed a five-tier scheduling system that defines the medical appropriateness or potential for common abuse of a drug, ranging from I to V. (I is ranked as the having the most potential for abuse and is not considered to a pharmaceutically acceptable prescribed drug and V which has “legitimate medical purposes”, and can be used for medical treatments (Geltman 124). In the medical community a physician cannot be restricted in prescribing antibiotics due to the void of the FDA’s authority. Hence, antibiotics should be scheduled as a drug V, meeting all of the CSA’s requirements including: a lower potential of abuse than of a schedule IV drug, defined as medically appropriate, and will result in a “ limited limited physiological or psychic dependence” in the case of abuse (Geltman 124). Because antibiotics are the most prescribed drug in the world, implementing theses drugs into a drug classification system would monitor its distribution, while keeping it accessible for proper use. Opponents may argue that using the Courts goes out of the jurisdiction of the Attorney General, but seeking to schedule antibiotics does not desire to alter a current medical practice, but encourage public health by defining the whole class of drugs
Through the 20th century, antibiotics became the innovation that allowed the flourishing existence of human beings, where it was critical in the control of infection and allowed for stronger medical procedures that had invariably extended life. From its beginnings with Alexander Fleming’s discovery of the uses of penicillin (a widely used antibiotic), it has been considered a “wonder drug” with its widespread popularity post World War II, becoming a staple in industrialized medicine in the United States (Podolsky 27). With the increased prevalence of antibiotics beginning to fail in its earlier efficiency in treating bacterial infections, antibiotic resistant strains were established in the 1960s …show more content…
Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act of 2011 is a five-year period that allocates the rights of antibiotics (that treats life-threatening illnesses) solely to pharmaceutical industries, without competition of generic branding. The purpose of this legislation is to allow pharmaceutical companies to decrease their expenses to then focus on continuing in the research of other possible antibiotic solutions (Chin). Even though the GAIN Act is attempting to tackle the incentives of pharmaceutical involvement to provide further investigation to slow antibiotic resistance, Congress has diverted their efforts to resolve the issue over the rapid solutions over this antibiotic- resistance epidemic through the GAIN Act. The GAIN Act is predisposed to hinder the ability of solving its premonicent issue because it does not address antibiotic resistance of the newly developed drugs, therefore, creating the issue that the act was attempting to resolve: to decrease resistance. It does not include insurance reimbursement which does not correspond with the financial incentives of antibiotic prescriptions, where hospitals would not encourage antibiotic conservation as an economic advantage (Forsyth). Medical communities would be disinterested in following with precautionary measures in accordance of the understated ideal to combat the overuse of antibiotics. …show more content…
The Controlled Substances Act has constructed a five-tier scheduling system that defines the medical appropriateness or potential for common abuse of a drug, ranging from I to V. (I is ranked as the having the most potential for abuse and is not considered to a pharmaceutically acceptable prescribed drug and V which has “legitimate medical purposes”, and can be used for medical treatments (Geltman 124). In the medical community a physician cannot be restricted in prescribing antibiotics due to the void of the FDA’s authority. Hence, antibiotics should be scheduled as a drug V, meeting all of the CSA’s requirements including: a lower potential of abuse than of a schedule IV drug, defined as medically appropriate, and will result in a “ limited limited physiological or psychic dependence” in the case of abuse (Geltman 124). Because antibiotics are the most prescribed drug in the world, implementing theses drugs into a drug classification system would monitor its distribution, while keeping it accessible for proper use. Opponents may argue that using the Courts goes out of the jurisdiction of the Attorney General, but seeking to schedule antibiotics does not desire to alter a current medical practice, but encourage public health by defining the whole class of drugs