The veterinary pharmaceutical industry strongly opposes an FDA proposal to collect more details about antibiotic use in livestock, said Agri-Pulse. In May, the agency said it wanted data on antimicrobial use by cattle, hogs, chickens and poultry. At present, drugmakers report total sales of each antibiotic. “In comments filed with FDA, industry groups say the data would be difficult to produce, misleading and would likely be used unfairly to target segments of the industry,” said Agri-Pulse. One of the major companies, Zoetis, said it would be difficult for a manufacturer to know how a drug is used. The FDA proposed the more detailed reports as part of a government-wide effort to reduce the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Drugmakers are partway through a phase-out of the use of medically important antibiotics to promote weight gain in cattle, hogs and poultry.