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45 ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AND STEWARDSHIP 4 Takeaways From CDC Health Alert on Antibiotic-Resistant Superbugs By Heather Punke A fter a strain of E. coli resistant to last resort antibiot- ics was identified in the U.S., the CDC released a health alert reiterating the importance of measures to prevent the transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Here are four recommendations for healthcare providers and facilities from the health alert, issued June 13. 1. Healthcare providers should follow the CDC's Standard and Contact Precautions for any patient colonized or infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. 2. Facilities should follow manufacturers' instructions for de- vice cleaning and reprocessing. 3. Healthcare facilities should make sure rooms where patients with antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections stayed receive thorough daily and terminal cleaning. 4. If a healthcare facility or lab identifies bacteria with the mcr- 1 gene, the entity should follow local reporting requirements and notify local or state authorities, clinicians caring for the patient and the infection control staff as soon as possible. n With New Incentives, Pharma Ramping Up Antibiotic Development By Tamara Rosin A er decades of largely ignoring the antibiotics business, new research incentives from national govern- ments are driving drugmakers to renew efforts to create new infection-fighting medicines, according to Bloomberg. Until recently, big pharmaceutical com- panies had largely let go of antibiotic development because it can cost billions of dollars and deliver little profit, as successful formulas are prescribed sparingly to prevent bacterial resistance. Companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and others have either shut down antibiotic research labs or trimmed budgets in the last 15 years, according to the report. However, that is beginning to change. e U.S. government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority plans to invest up to $170 million to support antibiotic development at London-based AstraZeneca and $200 million at Brentford, England-based GlaxoSmithKline. In 2015, Britain and China established a joint fund to support research aimed at fighting bacterial resistance, according to the report. "Some large pharmaceutical companies are re-entering the space, and new companies focused on antibacterial development are emerging as industry darlings," said Ankit Mahadevia, CEO of Cambridge, Mass.- based Spero erapeutics, a biopharma- ceutical company that's developing new treatments for bacterial infections, accord- ing to the report. At the World Economic Forum in January, more than 80 pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostics companies, such as Roche, Pfizer, Novartis AG and GlaxoSmithKline, vowed to combat the threat of antimicrobial resistance, according to the report. A Bloomberg survey of 18 of those compa- nies conducted in May and June revealed that they expect to increase spending on an- tibiotic research by an average of 36 percent this year, and increase staff by 6.5 percent, according to the report. "ere's definitely more activity," said Deborah O'Neil, CEO of Aberdeen, Scot- land-based NovaBiotics, which is developing a drug that would make existing antibiot- ics more effective by weakening bacterial defenses, according to Bloomberg. "Big pharma's eyes are open." n BECKER'S CEO + CFO ROUNDTABLE november 7-9, 2016 swissotel, chicago Call 1.800.417.2035 or email registration@beckershealthcare.com keynotes by dr. ronald dephinho, dr. charles w. sorenson, dr. richard gilfillan, catherine jacobson, warner thomas & jonathan bush