From advisory to action: the case for preserving PACCARB in the fight against antimicrobial resistance

Abstract

The Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB) was established to advise the government on strategies to mitigate antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and its increasing threat to public health and national security. Its members included experts from diverse disciplines such as healthcare, veterinary medicine, industry, public health, and agriculture who were positioned to interface with key stakeholders and the public in an aspirational multidisciplinary approach to combating AMR. The council was successful in elevating AMR as a national priority and played a crucial role in watershed events for antimicrobial stewardship (AS) such as the development of the second National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and the requirement for hospitals to establish antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs). Additionally, PACCARB was responsible for reframing the discourse on AMR through the context of One Health and evolved domestic efforts into global collaboration. While PACCARB’s future remains uncertain, stakeholder organizations must continue to advocate for policy in favor of AMR surveillance and prevention to avoid losing the momentum which PACCARB generated over the course of the last decade.