Reports

Articles by Thomas F. O'Brien, M.D. (APUA Vice President; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School)

  • Preserve Antibiotics for the Future

  • How Epidemics of Untreatable Infections Develop

  • Reduce Antibiotic Use to Delay Antibiotic Resistance

APUA White Papers

Antibiotic Resistance Synthesis of Recommendations by Expert Policy Groups

Framework for Use of Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance in the Development of Standard Treatment Guidelines

Congressional Briefings

APUA attended a Congressional Briefing sponsored by the IDSA on "Combating Antimicrobial Resistance" (April 7, 2011)

APUA attended a Congressional Briefing co-sponsored by Food & Water Watch and Beyond Pesticides on the antibacterial agent Triclosan (February 17, 2011)

APUA sponsored a Congressional Staff Briefing on "Drug Resistant Infections in the U.S." (July 19, 2005)

Testimony, Letters and Statements

11/19/2012
APUA comments on the FDA's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on Antimicrobial Animal Drug Sales and Distribution Reporting

11/12/2012
Joint statement on Antibiotic Resistance with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 25 National Health Organisations.

11/7/2012
APUA urges the FDA to include consumers and public health professional in upcoming stakeholder meetings about use of antibiotics in livestock

7/10/2012
APUA developed a leadership statement addressed to President Obama and FDA Commissioner Hamburg. APUA reached out to colleagues for support and this statement was signed by 21 leaders in science and medicine including 4 Nobel Laureates and 5 ASM Presidents.

5/3/2012
APUA convenes a national stakeholders meeting in Washington D.C. to discuss antibiotic use in food animals, including alternatives to antibiotic use and incentives to adopt them.

4/11/2012
APUA issues a press release on the FDA draft guidances on antibiotics in food animal production.

4/7/2011
APUA issues a press release on World Health Day entitled "To Save Antibiotics, Make Them a Separate Class of Drugs"

3/24/2011
APUA submits comments on The National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System Strategic Plan 2011-2015

12/15/10
APUA letters to Senators Brown and Kerry in support of the FY 2011 omnibus appropriations bill, which includes an increase of $750 million for the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

10/1/2010
APUA issues public comment on Transatlantic Task Force priority activities

8/30/10
Letters from APUA, Dr. Stuart B. Levy, and Dr. Thomas O'Brien to the FDA regarding the draft guidance, "The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals"

8/26/10
In Memoriam of Senator Edward Kennedy

7/14/10
Testimony of APUA President Dr. Stuart B. Levy before the Subcommittee on Health of the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce

6/7/10
Testimony at US Stakeholder Listening Session June 7, 2010 Regarding Transatlantic Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance

4/1/10
APUA submits public comment on progress report from the Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance

3/16/10
APUA letter to Representative David Obey regarding proposed CDC budget cuts

1/25/10
APUA letter to Representative Markey regarding Triclosan

12/18/09
Transatlantic Task Force letter to President Obama

05/15/09
APUA submitted a letter to President Obama requesting an allocation of additional funds that could help combat bacterial infections in resource poor countries.

05/14/09
APUA Vice President Thomas O’Brien testified before Congressman Lynch and his Committee on issues surrounding the H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak.

4/2/09
The Antibiotics in Agriculture letter was written to various members of the FDA to register APUA's protest of the impending approval of cefquinome, the lift on the ban on extra-label use of cephalosporins, and to recommend releasing risk analyses for antibiotics with regard to development of resistance. 

1/13/09
Antibiotics as Commodities: Need to Save the Cures
APUA Position Statement regarding marketing campaigns by large chain stores that offer discounted or free prescription antibiotics

10/9/08
The Gentamicin Letter was written to various members of the EPA as well as other governmental agencies to register APUA's protest about the use of gentamicin as a pesticide on apples in Michigan.

6/24/08
APUA submits a statement of support at the Senate hearing: "Emergence of the Superbug: Antimicrobial Resistance in the U.S." 

6/18/08
APUA submits a statement for consideration at the National Biodefense Science Board meeting, June 18-20, 2008. 

4/29/08
APUA issues a press release responding to the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (PCIFAP)'s report and commending legislative leadership in containing antibiotic resistance". 

4/28/08
APUA submits a written testimony for the FDA hearing on antimicrobial resistance [Docket No. FDA-2008-N-0225]".

11/27/07
APUA letter to Senator Edward Kennedy and Congressman Stephen Lynch on the need for additional provisions in surveillance, early warning, and intervention in the STAAR (Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance) Act

12/1/00
APUA sumbits a response to the federal registrar notice on labeling requirements for systemic antibacterial drug products intended for human use [Docket No. 00N-1463].

11/27/00
APUA letter to Bayer Corporation and FDA in support of FDA's proposal to withdraw the fluoroquinolone antibiotic enrofloxacin (Baytril) from use in poultry.

6/1/00
APUA submits a response to the federal register notice on over-the-counter drug products [Docket No. 00N-1256] arguing for antibiotics to be held as a specialized, more regulated class of drugs.

4/5/99
APUA submits a letter to the FDA calling for elimination of non-therapeutic use of antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals and probition of the use of human-use antimicrobials in food-producing animals if there is evidence of an increase in antimicrobial resistance within the animal population.

7/12/98
APUA writes to the FDA about the need to make the proposed change in labeling requirements applicable to all antibiotics, not just new ones.