PASTEUR Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill creates a subscription-style contract system where the federal government pays drug companies $75 million to $300 million per year for up to 10 years for new antibiotics that fight urgent or serious drug-resistant infections. This model ensures companies have a financial reason to develop antibiotics even when the drugs are rarely used.
• Drug companies that receive contracts must guarantee a steady supply of the antibiotic in the United States, track and publicly report drug resistance data, and follow environmental best practices during manufacturing. Contracts can be terminated if a company pulls the drug from the market or fails to meet these requirements.
• The bill authorizes and appropriates $6 billion from the Treasury for fiscal year 2026, designated as emergency spending. Up to 6.5% of that amount (about $390 million) can go toward antimicrobial stewardship and surveillance programs.
• A grant program would help hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and clinics use antibiotics more carefully, with priority given to rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, those serving tribal populations, and safety-net hospitals.
• A 15-member Critical Need Antimicrobial Advisory Group will be created within 60 days to help decide which drugs qualify and how they are scored. The group will include infectious disease doctors, antimicrobial resistance experts, and patient advocates, with strict conflict-of-interest rules barring members from receiving compensation from drug companies.