NRDC, CSPI File Citizen Petition on Antibiotic Use in Livestock

Several consumer-protection groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Center for Science in the Public
Interest (CSPI), have filed a citizen petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging the agency to withdraw approval of seven antibiotics for disease prevention and growth-promotion use in livestock and poultry. “The use of medically important antibiotics in livestock production for growth-promotion or disease-prevention purposes is not shown to be safe,” the September 13, 2016, petition asserts. “FDA’s voluntary program will not end these drug uses. FDA must immediately begin proceedings to withdraw approval for these uses.”

The day before the groups filed the petition, FDA announced a comment period about therapeutic uses of medically important antimicrobials. The agency seeks information about (i) “[t]he underlying diseases requiring these drugs for therapeutic purposes, and periods when livestock or poultry are at risk of developing these diseases”; (ii) “[m]ore targeted antimicrobial use regimens for these diseases and husbandry practices that may help avoid the need for these antimicrobials, or that may help make more targeted antimicrobial use regimens more effective”; and (iii) “[s]trategies for updating affected labeling of drug products that do not currently include a defined duration of use.” Comments will be accepted until December 12, 2016. See Federal Register, September 12, 2016.