Kevin Outterson

Biography

Kevin Outterson, J.D., LL.M., is Professor of Law and Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Law at Boston University, where he leads the Social Innovation on Drug Resistance program. He is also the founding Executive Director and Principal Investigator of Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X), a global non-profit partnership funded by the U.S., U.K., and German governments, Wellcome and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Its mission is to accelerate a diverse portfolio of innovative antibacterial products toward clinical development and regulatory approval. The CARB-X portfolio is the world’s most scientifically diverse, early development pipeline of new antibacterial therapeutics, diagnostics, and prevention. CARB-X is the only global partnership that includes prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of life-threatening bacterial infections. CARB-X has been awarded over $800 million in grants with Professor Outterson as Principal Investigator.

Professor Outterson’s primary areas of expertise are the law and economics of antimicrobial resistance, particularly push and pull incentives for antimicrobials. Professor Outterson has participated in many major reports and initiatives on antibacterial research and development. He served on the Advisory Panel for the Longitude Prize that offers an award for inventors creating affordable and rapid diagnostics to help clinicians identify effective antibiotics to treat drug-resistant bacteria. Professor Outterson received the 2015 Leadership Award by the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics for his research and advocacy work.

Professor Outterson publishes in legal and peer-reviewed medical and health policy journals, including Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law and Ethics; Cardozo Law Review; University of Pittsburgh Law Review; Kansas Law Review; American Journal of Law & Medicine; New England Journal of Medicine; Health Affairs; The Lancet Infectious Diseases; Environmental Philosophy; The Medical Journal of Australia; Journal of Generic Medicines; Clinical Infectious Diseases; and Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.

Since 2000, Professor Outterson has published more than 90 peer-reviewed and legal articles. Examples of his recent publications related to antibiotic resistance include:

• “Patient Access in 14 High-Income Countries to New Antibacterials Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency, or Health Canada, 2010–2020” (Clinical Infectious Diseases, April 2022)
• “Estimating The Appropriate Size Of Global Pull Incentives For Antibacterial Medicines” (Health Affairs, November 2021).

On behalf of The New England Journal of Medicine and other clients, Professor Outterson filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court, supporting Vermont’s Prescription Confidentiality Law. His work was cited by Justice Breyer in Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc. A Boston University team led by Professors Outterson and Moncrieff filed four amicus briefs supporting the Affordable Care Act, which was heard by the Court in the spring of 2012.

He is past editor-in-chief of the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics; current faculty co-advisor to the American Journal of Law & Medicine; past chair of the Section on Law, Medicine & Health Care of the Association of American Law Schools; former director of the health law program; and the former President and member of the Board of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics.

Before his academic career, Professor Outterson was a partner at two major U.S. law firms.