The PASTEUR Act of 2023

Where This Stands

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Signed

Currently IN_COMMITTEE. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

The bill authorizes $6 billion in federal spending to incentivize the development of new antibiotics, which directly impacts the availability of treatments for drug-resistant infections and changes how the government procures and pays for these specialized medicines.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Antimicrobial drug developers

They may enter into subscription contracts with the government for drug development and must adhere to strict supply and reporting requirements.

Hospitals and skilled nursing facilities

They are eligible for new federal grants to implement antimicrobial stewardship and reporting programs.

Federal health care programs

They are required to coordinate with the Subscription Contract Office to subtract net revenue from sales of applicable drugs from contract payments.

What changed

Current stage: IN_COMMITTEE.

What's next

Floor Vote.

Background

The PASTEUR Act is a legislative proposal aimed at addressing the 'antibiotic pipeline' problem, where pharmaceutical companies have reduced investment in new antibiotics due to low profitability compared to other drugs. context

Summary

This bill creates a new federal subscription program to pay pharmaceutical companies for developing innovative, high-priority s. It also establishes a grant program for hospitals to improve the use of these drugs and mandates increased federal surveillance of antibiotic resistance.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Why It Matters

The bill authorizes $6 billion in federal spending to incentivize the development of new antibiotics, which directly impacts the availability of treatments for drug-resistant infections and changes how the government procures and pays for these specialized medicines.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will the government pay for these new drugs?

The bill creates a where the government pays a fixed, multi-year contract amount to the developer, rather than paying for each individual pill or treatment used.

Who is eligible for these contracts?

Developers of s that treat infections identified as 'critical needs' and meet specific criteria, such as novel targets or modes of action, are eligible.

What happens if a drug company makes too much money elsewhere?

If a company's revenue from international and private insurance markets exceeds 5 times the government's subscription payment, the government will stop making payments under the contract.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Decoupling Payment from Volume

The bill explicitly moves away from a 'fee-for-service' model for antibiotics toward a 'subscription' model, which is designed to incentivize development without requiring high sales volumes.

Subscription Contract Office

Connected Entities

personMr. LaTurner“Co-sponsor of the bill.”Map →

organizationDepartment of Defense“Part of the committee established to develop antimicrobial innovations.”Map →

personMr. Ferguson“Introduced the bill in the House of Representatives.”Map →

bill_numberH.R. 2940“The bill number.”Map →

organizationCenters for Disease Control and Prevention“Part of the committee established to develop antimicrobial innovations.”Map →

organizationNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases“Part of the committee established to develop antimicrobial innovations.”Map →

organizationFood and Drug Administration“Part of the committee established to develop antimicrobial innovations.”Map →

personMr. Peters“Co-sponsor of the bill.”Map →

dateApril 27, 2023“Date the bill was introduced.”Map →

organizationBiomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority“Part of the committee established to develop antimicrobial innovations.”Map →

organizationCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services“Part of the committee established to develop antimicrobial innovations.”Map →

personMr. Levin“Co-sponsor of the bill.”Map →

organizationVeterans Health Administration“Part of the committee established to develop antimicrobial innovations.”Map →

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level