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"Antibiotics are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in medicine," Frieden said. "But either half are not needed or are not optimally prescribed."

"We can help doctors use antibiotics more wisely and can be certain whether our efforts to reduce antibiotic resistance are working," Frieden said.

During a press call to announce the moves, a reporter said that it all sounded like a "very bureaucratic set" of steps, and questioned what the effect on people would be.

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"This may sound rather bureaucratic, but it's anything but," said Eric Lander, co-chairman of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, whose report to Obama called for added spending to address the problem.

"This has been a problem that's been brewing for decades. This is now an [issue] that I think we're all aware requires very serious, coordinated action," Lander said. "What's new here is a real federal focus on this."

Other highlights of Obama's executive order include:

HHS, according to the administration, will soon hold a public meeting to focus the $20 million competition on the types of diagnostic tests most needed for recognizing and treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

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The prize will be co-sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

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Obama's new battleresistant bacteria