( CNN ) -- For desperately ill patients with serious , life-threatening antibiotic-resistant infections , access to new antibiotics is a matter of life and death . All across America , people are dying from bacterial infections that we used to be able to cure with antibiotics . Just this March , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned the public about a four-fold increase in one group of `` nightmare bacteria , '' carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae , which kills up to 50 % of the people infected , and is on the rise . The annual impact of antibiotic resistant infections on the U.S. health care system is estimated to be $ 21 billion to $ 34 billion in excess health care costs and more than 8 million additional hospital days . At the same time , we are not making new antibiotics fast enough to prevent these deaths . Without new antibiotics , things we all take for granted , including surgery , chemotherapy , organ transplantation and premature infant care , will be in jeopardy . A streamlined but targeted approach that speeds regulatory approval of new antibiotics -- and limits their use to the sickest of the sick -- is an appropriate way to balance the safety risks of these new drugs with the lifesaving benefits they can offer patients who have no other treatment options . As a practicing infectious disease physician , my colleagues and I are seeing firsthand the devastating effects that resistant infections have on patients . Consider Addie Rerecich , who was a healthy , athletic 11-year-old in 2011 before she spent five months in an Arizona hospital battling several serious drug-resistant infections that her doctors did not have antibiotics powerful enough to treat . Addie ultimately needed a double lung transplant to save her life . The health care costs from her hospital stay alone totaled $ 6 million , and she will need medical attention and therapy for the rest of her life . As resistant infections like those that nearly took Addie 's life continue to increase , the antibiotic pipeline is nearly dry , with few drugs in development that will work against the most alarming pathogens our patients face . A proposal from the Infectious Diseases Society of America aims to address a key part of the problem by reducing the obstacles to regulatory approval of new antibiotics for use in a distinct , narrow group of people : Patients with serious resistant infections that have no effective treatment options left . How will this make a difference ? The current regulatory environment in the U.S. discourages drug companies from antibiotic research and development , and few firms are active in this area today . Antibiotics also are n't as profitable as other drugs , such as those for chronic conditions like heart disease or diabetes , which patients often take for years . A more direct path for regulatory approval can encourage more companies to get involved in antibiotic development again . IDSA 's approach -- the Limited Population Antibacterial Drug -- would speed patients ' access to new , lifesaving antibiotics by allowing the Food and Drug Administration to approve them for narrow use based on smaller clinical trials than required for more widely used antibiotics . Under LPAD , drug companies will still have to show that a drug 's benefits outweigh the risks in patients with serious infections . It 's an idea modeled after the successful Orphan Drug Program , which encourages the development of drugs for rare diseases . Promoting the appropriate use of these new antibiotics is critical , because we know antibiotic misuse and overuse are significant drivers of drug resistance . Special labeling will ensure narrow marketing of these drugs . Educational efforts should be put in place to send a strong signal to health care providers , facilities and insurers that these drugs are only for patients who need them most . These drugs will also likely be priced higher , commensurate with their value as life-saving medicines , than traditionally approved antibiotics , another factor that will help limit their wider use . Antibiotic stewardship programs , which encourage appropriate antibiotic use by providers and health facilities , will play a key role . These programs provide much needed support and guidance to clinicians and ensure that our precious resource of antibiotics will be used wisely . Professional medical groups -- including the American Medical Association -- public health organizations , patient groups and pharmaceutical manufacturers have voiced their support for IDSA 's proposal . FDA and several members of Congress are also interested in the concept and in moving it forward . To be sure , developing new antibiotics and speeding their approval process to treat seriously ill patients is just one way to grapple with this complex public health crisis . IDSA also promotes enhanced public health efforts , including better data collection and surveillance of drug resistance and the use of antibiotics , improved infection prevention , antimicrobial stewardship , and stronger efforts to encourage the appropriate use of antibiotics in humans and on the farm . Increased research funding to explore how antibiotic resistance develops and spreads is just as vital , along with additional economic incentives and regulatory clarity to boost antibiotic development . Patients like Addie need our help . We must take action now . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Helen Boucher .
Obama administration is considering streamlining the approval process for antibiotics . The move would allow more drugs to be used in animals without requiring a costly and lengthy review by federal regulators. For patients with life-threatening infections , access to new antibiotics is vital . She says by limiting their use to the sickest of the sick , we can minimize risks of new drugs . Boucher : We need to encourage more companies to do antibiotic research and development .