FDA challenges use of antibiotics in healthy food animals - June 28, 2010

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed on Monday that the animal agriculture industry drop its use of medically important antibiotics in food animals such as cattle.

The draft proposal, which is open for public comment for 60 days, calls the widespread use of the drugs in healthy animals to boost growth and production “injudicious”. It notes that 40 years' worth of scientific studies have largely suggested that the practice promotes bacterial resistance to drugs that are much needed to treat both animals and people.

The agency further proposes that veterinarians should be involved in all decisions on the use of medically important antibiotics, like pencillins and tetracyclines, in feed animals. At present, many antibiotics are available to the industry over-the-counter, without a veterinarian’s involvement.

The proposal, called a “guidance” when finalized, is not binding on the industry, but represents what the FDA calls its “current thinking”. However, in a conference call with reporters today, FDA's deputy commissioner, Joshua Sharfstein, said that the agency could move to issue binding regulations if it judges that to be necessary.

"I am not ruling out anything that we could do to accomplish these important public health goals," Sharfstein said.

To hear a replay of the conference call, callers in the United States and Canada can dial 1-800-873-2054. International callers can dial 1-203-369-4006.

For FDA questions and answers on the new guidance, click this link:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/GuidanceComplianceEnforcement/GuidanceforIndustry/ucm216939.htm

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association. , the major beef industry lobby group, put out a statement , criticizing the FDA for tackling the use of antibiotics for growth-and-production-boosting purposes apart from their use in prevention of disease and treatment of sick animals, as well as their use in industry and in humans.

The group also challenged the agency's interpretation of a raft of studies on the issue of antimicrobial resistance. "NCBA will carefully review this draft guidance and the reports cited as the basis of [FDA's] reasoning for their framework for policy on this issue. NCBA supports actions based only on sound, peer-reviewed science and risk assessment relative to the use of antibiotics," Elizabeth Parker, the organization's chief veterinarian, said in the statement.