Some 14.8 billion kilograms of antibiotics were sold or distributed for use in food animals in 2013 and six of every 10 kg were classified as medically important antimicrobials, said the FDA. The government aims to reduce that ratio to maintain the efficacy of antibiotics to treat human illness. The agency launched a three-year drive in 2014 to end the use of antibiotics as a growth promotant. “This summary report reflects sales and distribution information from the year prior” to the campaign, the FDA said.
Under the agency’s plan, which is part of an administration-wide effort to thwart development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, antibiotics classified as important to human treatment would be available only under approval by a veterinarian and could be used only for treatment or prevention of disease in cattle, hogs, poultry and other food-producing animals.
Livestock account for a large majority of U.S. antibiotic use; 80 percent by some estimates.
According to the FDA, domestic sales of antibiotics for livestock surged by 17 percent from 2009-13, but rose by only 1 percent from 2012-13. Medically important antibiotics were 62 percent of the sales and distribution, compared to 38 percent for “not currently medically important” (NCMI) drugs. Some 71 percent of the sales of medically important antibiotics were tetracyclines. Ionophores were the most widely sold NCMI drug, with 79 percent of the market.
The agency does not compile data on antibiotic use among types of livestock, and cautions that figures for antibiotic sales and distribution may not correlate to actual use. Its report of a flattening of sales in 2013 is similar to material from the Animal Health Institute, a trade group for companies producing animal vaccines and pharmaceuticals, that says “spending by Americans on medicines used to protect the health of companion and farm animals was essentially unchanged in 2013 compared to 2012.”
Consumers Union said the FDA was not going far enough to constrain the use of antibiotics in livestock. Many of the antibiotics that would be barred as a growth promotant could be used for disease prevention, it said. The consumer group backs legislation to prohibit any use of medically important antibiotics on healthy food animals. The FDA’s data show that 72 percent of medically important antibiotics sold for livestock use in 2013 were approved for prevention or treatment of disease, as well as promoting growth.
The White House released a “national action plan” on March 26 that “includes a three-year goal to collect data on antibiotic use and resistance in food-producing animals and to measure the impact of industry stewardship programs,” said Agri-Pulse.
The FDA summary report on sales and distribution of antimicrobials in 2013 is available here. The FDA page on antibiotics in livestock is available here. The White House’s “National action plan for combatting antibiotic-resistant bacteria” is available here.