When kids are sick, parents want to do the best they can to help them feel better fast. It's no different when animals are sick. Livestock producers want to do everything they can to help them feel better fast. It's understandable why most people want to turn to antibiotics so quickly - it's what they know to be an effective treatment for illness and disease.
But antibiotics aren't effective on viruses, whether in kids or livestock.
"Just as physicians have started to try and educate people to not utilize antibiotics in those cases, we're really trying to have the same conversation with the livestock industry," says Mike Lormore, DVM, head of technical services over pork and cattle for Zoetis.
On June 11, FDA's Guidance for Industry (GFI) #263 brings 91 over-the-counter (OTC) antimicrobial products from OTC to prescription oversight. This is part of a broader effort by FDA to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a serious threat to animal and public health. Using antimicrobials judiciously, in all settings, can help slow the rate at which AMR develops.
"It's a confidence thing," says Jim Lowe, DVM, director of the College of Veterinary Medicine I-Learning Center at the University of Illinois. "The regulators have said, 'Listen, we want some more oversight here, so we have more confidence in the supply chain.' My perception is we're not changing what we're doing. We're just going to document and tell people what we're doing better. It's about transparency."
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