Groups debate US plan on antibiotics for animals
Date: 04-Oct-02
Country: USA
Author: Lisa Richwine
Consumer groups, meanwhile, said they were encouraged that the Food and Drug Administration was moving to address a serious public health issue by recommending that makers of animal drugs evaluate whether the medicines will lead to people acquiring tough-to-treat infections from food.
"The problem is how does FDA do its job of being concerned about antibiotic resistance, yet at the same time not severely damage or even destroy the industry that produces these antibiotics," Deputy FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford said at a public hearing on the issue.
"I think the balance we are presenting today is well-crafted," Crawford added.
The FDA plan "is a great step forward. The agency actually is taking a stand on the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture," said John Balbus of Environmental Defense, which is a member of Keep Antibiotics Working, a coalition aiming to eliminate inappropriate use of antibiotics in farm animals.
Balbus said he is worried, though, about how quickly the FDA will act on its plan and whether the agency will have enough funding to carry it out. The coalition believes legislation to restrict some current uses of antibiotics in animals is the best way to address the problem, he said.
After repeated exposure to antibiotics, bacteria may learn to outsmart them. In a proposal unveiled last month, the FDA said it wants information about resistance risk when companies apply for approval of an animal drug. Based on the information, the agency may deny approval or restrict use.
Livestock producers and makers of animal drugs said the plan will make it harder to win approval for new medicines.
Barb Determan, a pork producer from Iowa, said she was worried that farmers and veterinarians may be prohibited from using medicines for uses that are not FDA-approved.
"We just want to make sure we have the thing that works right on our animals for keeping them healthy," she said.
Rich Carnevale, a vice president for the Animal Health Institute, said the FDA's current proposal "will overestimate the risk of many compounds and uses." The Animal Health Institute represents Pfizer Inc. , Bayer Corp. and other makers of animal drugs.
