The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it has revoked the order prohibiting the extralabel use of cephalosporin antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals. The revision comes despite the US regulator’s assessment in July that the use of cephalosporin in this way was a public-health risk. According to the FDA, it received many substantive comments on the order of prohibition regarding cephalosporin, which was published on the US Federal Register on 3 July, and, it said that in order for the agency to fully consider that feedback, it was required to revoke the order. The US regulator’s plan to ban many uses of cephalosporin drugs in cows, pigs, and poultry was challenged by industry, with agriculture groups and animal-drug companies saying that the antibiotics prevent many infectious diseases in animals. The term ‘extralabel use’ refers to use of an approved drug in an animal in a manner that does not follow the approved labelling. The FDA said its position was that extralabel drug use should only occur in circumstances when an animal’s health is threatened, or suffering or death may occur if treatment is not administered. Resistance to antibacterials in animals is rising, meaning that the risk of animal-based food becoming contaminated is higher. At the same time, antimicrobials are also becoming less effective in fighting human infections.
Bonnie - this is absolutely outrageous. Once again, pay for play politics at hand. A big push by the livestock industry put the FDA on its heels. How counterproductive to the CDC's public health campaign warning of antibiotic resistance. Ugh!
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