SLOWING ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE

FDA HAS MADE it clear to the animal agriculture industry that feeding animals antibiotics for growth promotion poses a serious public health threat. In draft guidance published last week, FDA recommended that the industry stop using antibiotics that are medically important to humans unless they are necessary for animal health and are given with veterinary oversight. The agency stopped short, however, of issuing regulations to prohibit the use of antibiotics to increase production or enhance growth of farm animals. FDA is hoping that farmers will adopt the guidelines voluntarily, but such hopes have not materialized in the past. The guidance aims to help reduce antibiotic resistance in humans, which is worsening because of misuse and overuse of antibiotics in animal production. “To preserve the effectiveness of these important antimicrobial drugs, we simply must use them as judiciously as possible,” Joshua M. Sharfstein, principal deputy commissioner of FDA, noted at a June 28 briefing. “Today’s ...