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Animal Antibiotics Ban Sought

U.S. Groups Want to Fight Germ Resistance

W A S H I N G T O N, March 9 — Health, consumer and environmental

groups will ask the federal government today to stop farmers feeding animals

antibiotics that are losing their power to treat infections in people.

The U.S. consumer group Center for Science in the Public

Interest is leading the effort by 37 groups to convince the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration it must sharply curtail agricultural use of antibiotics.

Scientists think feeding the drugs to animals destined for

dinner plates makes humans vulnerable to so-called superbugs that cannot be

treated.

Outsmarting Humans

Scientists and health-care experts are extremely concerned about

strains of salmonella and other potentially deadly bacteria that do not respond

to antibiotics. They believe the bacteria outsmart the drugs because of their

repeated use in both humans and animals.

Farmers routinely add antibiotics to livestock feed to help the

animals grow faster. CSPI said any antibiotics needed for humans should be off

limits for that purpose.

FDA officials and Congress have been debating how to stifle

development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In January, an advisory committee

recommended the FDA go ahead with plans to make drug companies test for

antibiotic resistance before and after they approach the agency for approval.

What Power Does FDA Wield?

Dr. Sundlof, head of the FDA’s Center for Veterinary

Medicine, said on Monday he did not think FDA had the authority to institute the

broad ban that CSPI advocates. But under FDA’s proposals, individual drugs could

be removed from the market if the amount of resistant bacteria they promote

exceeds agency limits.

“One way or another we’re going to be taking action on this,”

Sundlof said in a telephone interview.

Makers of animal drugs said they support efforts already

underway to monitor resistant bacteria, but say the FDA’s proposals to change

the drug approval process, or institute an even broader ban, are unnecessary.

“There is not good scientific data to indicate we need to pull

these products,” said Keeling, a spokesman for the Animal Health Institute,

which represents animal drug makers.

The FDA is taking public comments on its proposals for animal

drugs until April and will decide whether to implement new rules sometime after

that.

Copyright 1999 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not

be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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S U M M A R Y

Health and environmental activists believe a ban on treating farm

animals with antibiotics will help fight growing germ resistance to such drugs.

More on Antibiotic Resistance

Declaring War on Stronger Germs

Killer Microbes

Urinary Infections Resist Treatment

Antibiotics Losing Their Fight

Farmers routinely add antibiotics to livestock feed to help the

animals grow faster. Activists say any antibiotics needed for humans should be

off limits for that purpose.

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