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<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" color="#000099" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-issues-action-plan-to-fight-drug-resistant-bacteria-1427475164">http://www.wsj.com/articles/white-house-issues-action-plan-to-fight-drug-resistant-bacteria-1427475164</a></span><o:p></o:p></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" color="#000099" face="Times New Roman"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><font size="1" color="#333333" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:6.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:#333333"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/news/types/u-s-news"><font color="blue"><span style="color:blue;text-decoration:none">U.S.
 News</span></font></a></span></font><font size="1" color="#333333" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:6.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><font size="6" color="#333333" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:24.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:#333333">White House Issues Action Plan to Fight Drug-Resistant Bacteria<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><font size="5" color="#333333" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:#333333">Coordinated federal and state effort against superbugs would seek to curb use at farms, hospitals<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">By<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">Thomas M. Burton And
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;margin-left:42.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;background:white">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="2" color="#333333" face="Symbol"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">&middot;<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="#333333"><span style="color:#333333"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:42.0pt;background:white"><font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">Thomas M. Burton<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tennille Tracy<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<![if !supportLists]><font size="2" color="#333333" face="Symbol"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">&middot;<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="#333333"><span style="color:#333333"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">March 27, 2015 12:52 p.m. ET
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></font></p>
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<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">WASHINGTON&#8212;The White House issued the most extensive action plan ever against drug-resistant bacteria, or superbugs, seeking to curb antibiotic use at farms and
 hospitals&#8212;and promote tests to find lethal bugs, and antibiotics to kill them.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">The plan, formally known as the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, sets goals to reduce by 50% to 60% by 2020 the incidents of
 illnesses caused by some of the most lethal microbes known to man. It seeks enhanced laboratory capacity across the U.S. to detect the worst pathogens. And it calls on federal agencies to set new rules aimed at curbing dangerous microbes.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">The
<a href="http://topics.wsj.com/person/O/Obama/4328"><font color="blue"><span style="color:blue;text-decoration:none">Obama</span></font></a> administration&#8217;s strategy calls on federal and state agencies to engage in sweeping coordinated efforts, all largely
 based on the idea that whatever is measured can be managed. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">&#8220;It is the boldest move against antibiotic resistance by any U.S. administration ever,&#8221; said Kevin Outterson, a Boston University law professor, researcher and
 author on antibiotic resistance. He predicted the initiative, along with voluntary efforts by companies such as
<a href="http://quotes.wsj.com/MCD"><font color="blue"><span style="color:blue;text-decoration:none">McDonald&#8217;s</span></font></a> Corp. and
<a href="http://quotes.wsj.com/COST"><font color="blue"><span style="color:blue;text-decoration:none">Costco Wholesale</span></font></a> Corp. to stop or phase out using meat from animals routinely fed antibiotics, &#8220;will actually bear fruit quickly.&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333;text-transform:uppercase">More<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-left:42.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:12.6pt;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="2" color="#333333" face="Symbol"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">&middot;<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="#333333"><span style="color:#333333"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/fda-issues-warning-on-medical-device-after-superbug-outbreak-1424383322" target="_self"><font color="blue"><span style="color:blue;text-decoration:none">FDA
 Issues Warning on Medical Device After Superbug Outbreak </span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-left:42.0pt;text-indent:-.25in;line-height:12.6pt;mso-list:l1 level1 lfo3;background:white">
<![if !supportLists]><font size="2" color="#333333" face="Symbol"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Symbol;color:#333333"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">&middot;<font size="1" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font:7.0pt &quot;Times New Roman&quot;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
</span></font></span></span></font><![endif]><font color="#333333"><span style="color:#333333"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304585004579419493198620498" target="_self"><font color="blue"><span style="color:blue;text-decoration:none">CDC:
 Antibiotic Overuse Can Be Lethal </span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">Some doctors noted that there have previously existed similar, but lower-profile, interagency action plans on drug resistance at the Food and Drug Administration
 and other U.S. health agencies. But in this case, they noted, President Barack Obama&#8217;s budget calls for an additional $1.2 billion to be spent in the effort and, if enacted by Congress, that money can make a difference.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">Drug-resistant bacteria are responsible for some two million illnesses annually in the U.S. alone, and more than 23,000 deaths. Recent outbreaks at U.S. hospitals
 after routine scope-diagnostic procedures have made the threat from superbugs more vivid in the public&#8217;s mind.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">John H. Powers, a George Washington University medical professor, generally praised the plan but said it &#8220;needs to be more patient-focused, not bug focused.&#8221;
 He called on federal officials, for instance, to measure patient outcomes and see if they improve with new measures and antibiotics.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">Dr. Powers has noted that current law carries rewards to companies that develop antibiotics even when they haven&#8217;t been tested specifically against drug-resistant
 bugs.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">The White House plan proposes to eliminate a farming practice whereby antibiotics are given to cows, chickens and other food animals to help them gain weight
 faster. This overuse has greatly contributed to drug resistance.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">In late 2013, the FDA asked drug companies to voluntarily stop making antibiotics to promote animal growth.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">The Obama plan said the Agriculture Department should finance the development of alternatives to antibiotics that are used to treat diseases in livestock and
 poultry and promote growth.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">Some public-health groups criticized the Obama administration for not doing more to curb the use of antibiotics in poultry and livestock. Mae Wu, an attorney
 at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the drugs should be used only to treat animals that are sick.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">&#8220;The plan continues to allow the routine feeding of antibiotics to animals that live in the crowded conditions endemic to industrial farms,&#8221; Ms. Wu said.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">Steven Gordon, chairman of infectious diseases at the Cleveland Clinic, said the number of antibiotics prescribed to human patients when they weren&#8217;t needed has
 been increasing over recent years, so he hailed the plan as &#8220;elevating this issue to a level we haven&#8217;t seen before.&#8221;<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white">
<font size="3" color="#333333" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:#333333">Other specifics in the initiative include calling for states to set up programs to combat drug resistance. Within five years, it urges, all 50 states plus the
 District of Columbia and Puerto Rico should have such programs in place. It also urges the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to double tuberculosis screening among migrants, to prevent the importation of multidrug-resistant TB.</span></font><font size="1" color="#333333" face="Arial"><span style="font-size:6.0pt;font-family:&quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" color="#000099" face="Times New Roman"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Deborah L. DeBiasi</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><b><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold">Email: &nbsp;&nbsp;Deborah.DeBiasi@deq.virginia.gov</span></font></b><b><i><font size="2" color="red"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:red;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic"><br>
</span></font></i></b><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">WEB site address:&nbsp;
<a href="http://www.deq.virginia.gov/">www.deq.virginia.gov</a></span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Virginia Department of Environmental Quality</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Office of Water Permits
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Industrial Pretreatment/Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) Program</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">PPCPs, EDCs, and Microconstituents<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><a href="http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/PermittingCompliance/PollutionDischargeElimination/Microconstituents.aspx">http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/PermittingCompliance/PollutionDischargeElimination/Microconstituents.aspx</a></span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="2" color="navy" face="Times New Roman"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Mail:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; P.O. Box 1105, Richmond, VA&nbsp; 23218</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">Location:&nbsp; 629 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA&nbsp; 23219</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:navy"><br>
</span></font><font size="2" color="navy"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:navy">PH:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;804-698-4028&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; FAX: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 804-698-4032<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font size="3" color="#000099" face="Times New Roman"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></font></p>
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