The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says some medically important antibiotics should be phased out of livestock production and its calling on pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily make two key changes to make that happen. First, the agency wants drug companies to revise the FDA-approved use conditions on these product labels and second, the agency wants these drugs to be considered prescription rather than over-the-counter (OTC).
The FDA said antibiotic use in humans and animals is a factor in the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. The antibiotics in question are drugs considered medically important to treatment of human illness that have historically been used for non-medical purposes in livestock production such as promoting weight gain. Pharmaceutical companies would have three years to make the transition, but FDA would like notice of their intent within the next three months.
“Implementing this strategy is an important step forward in addressing antimicrobial resistance. The FDA is leveraging the cooperation of the pharmaceutical industry to voluntarily make these changes because we believe this approach is the fastest way to achieve our goal,” FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine Michael Taylor said. “Based on our outreach, we have every reason to believe that animal pharmaceutical companies will support us in this effort.”
