WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, chaired by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA), has announced a hearing for Tuesday, June 14, 2016, at 10 a.m. in room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Combatting Superbugs: U.S. Public Health Responses to Antibiotic Resistance." The hearing comes after headlines last week declared, “The superbug that doctors have been dreading just reached the U.S."
Members of the subcommittee will hear testimony from administration officials on the current risks associated with “superbugs" resistant to antibiotics, the extent of U.S. preparedness should there be an outbreak of antibiotic resistant bacteria, and what plans the federal government has to confront this public health challenge.
“The recent reports of a woman in Pennsylvania carrying a type of bacteria that is resistant to ‘antibiotics of last resort’ has confirmed a nightmare scenario for doctors and could be a game changer in medicine," said Chairman Murphy. “As we race to learn more about her unique condition, there is much we do not know that will be critical to our preparedness efforts. I look forward to a robust discussion next week with medical experts as we learn more about our national efforts to brace for this growing challenge."
Witnesses include:
* Dr. Beth Bell, Director, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease, Centers for Disease Control
* Dr. Janet Woodcock, Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration
* Dr. Richard Hatchett, Acting Director, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority
* Dr. Dennis Dixon, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
The Majority Memorandum and witness testimony will be available here as they are posted.
