FDA Antibiotics Proposal: NPPC Voices Concerns
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) recently submitted comments noting their criticism of FDA’s draft guidance on the duration of use of certain antibiotics in food animals.
According to NPPC, the proposed guidance would “deny the ability for a veterinarian to prescribe antimicrobials appropriately … burden pharmaceutical companies, and may jeopardize access to antibiotics.”
"Antibiotics are used judiciously under veterinary supervision to maintain livestock health and ensure safe food products. Over the past three decades, the U.S. pork industry has implemented measures, including FDA directives, to responsibly use antibiotics," NPPC said in Capital Update. "This includes prohibiting the use of antibiotics important to human medicine for promoting animal growth and that requires feed and water uses of those same antibiotics to be under a veterinary prescription."
In its comments, NPPC shared how producers participate in pork industry-developed programs promoting responsible antibiotic use and support federal initiatives to track antibiotic resistance in foodborne bacteria from humans, retail meats and food animals.
NPPC emphasized these points:
- Veterinarians are responsible for deciding what antimicrobials to prescribe, when products should be used and administered, and which animals to medicate and for how long. The draft guidance interferes with the veterinarian’s decision-making process by mandating a duration of use, NPPC notes.
- The guidance’s inclusion of statements on antimicrobial resistance mitigation could affect veterinarians’ decision-making ability and lead to confusion about when a product can and cannot be used.
- FDA needs to work closely with drug manufacturers to provide a simple process to include duration of use to continue availability of products – and allow veterinarians to maintain their role in the decision-making process, supporting the judicious use of antimicrobials.
"The pork industry is committed to supporting antimicrobial stewardship and producing a safe and wholesome protein product for consumers in the U.S. and globally," the letter concluded.
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