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Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Ave SW Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Secretary Kennedy, 

On behalf of 41 organizations, we write to request that the President’s Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB) meet as soon as possible. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing threat to public health, patient safety and national security. In the U.S., patients develop more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections each year, and AMR contributes to more than 160,000 deaths each year. Growing antimicrobial resistance jeopardizes the availability of many types of health care that carry a risk of infection, including cancer chemotherapy, organ transplants, hip and knee replacements, Cesarean sections and more. 

AMR is a complex problem, and addressing AMR requires collaboration across human health, agricultural and environmental sectors and coordination across the federal government. PACCARB is a federal advisory committee that was established in 2014 to address this growing problem. Authorized by the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019, the committee convenes private sector stakeholders and federal agencies to provide information, advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to help ensure that U.S. government programs and policies to combat antimicrobial resistance are as effective and efficient as possible. Furthermore, many private sector stakeholders utilize PACCARB reports and recommendations to inform strategies to address AMR at their own health care facilities, farms, companies and more. 

The PACCARB was scheduled to meet in late January 2025 to develop recommendations for the 2025-2030 National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, but the meeting was canceled with the transition in administration. Stakeholder organizations are deeply concerned that the meeting has not yet been rescheduled, slowing the pace of our national response to AMR. We urge HHS to convene a PACCARB meeting as soon as possible. 

Thank you, 

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 
American Academy of Pediatrics 
American Association of Avian Pathologists 
American Association of Bovine Practitioners 
American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners 
American Association of Swine Veterinarians 
American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges 
American Gastroenterological Association 
American Pharmacists Association 
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American Society of Transplant Surgeons 
AMR Action Fund 
Antibiotic Resistance Action Center, The George Washington University 
Association of Public Health Laboratories 
bioMérieux Inc. 
Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) 
BioVersys AG 
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) 
Danaher Diagnostics 
Earthjustice 
EpiX Analytics 
Food Animal Concerns Trust 
Gerontological Society of America 
Immune Deficiency Foundation 
Infectious Diseases Society of America 
Kathera Bioscience Inc 
Microbion Corporation 
Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) 
National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education 
NC Environmental Justice Network 
Novo Holdings US Inc. 
NTM Info & Research, Inc. 
Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease 
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society 
Peggy Lillis Foundation 
Sepsis Alliance 
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 
Society of Critical Care Medicine 
Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP) 
Treatment Action Group 
Trust for America's Health