Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Susan Collins (R-ME) on Wednesday introduced a bill that would require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to collect more data on exactly how antimicrobial drugs are used in food animal production. The Antimicrobial Data Collection Act calls for increased data collection by the Food and Drug… Continue Reading
antibiotic resistance
Senators Ask FDA to Be More Transparent with Food Animal Antibiotics Data
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators this week asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to be more transparent when they publish data regarding the use of antimicrobial drugs in food animal production. The lawmakers, including Sens. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), most of… Continue Reading
Antibiotic Resistance Debated on Popular National Public Radio Show
The ongoing debate over the use of antibiotics in agriculture got a bit of fuel on Thursday. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Mike Apley of Kansas State University, Lance Price of George Washington University and Stephen McDonnell, CEO of Applegate – a leading producer of organic meats – were all featured on the popular syndicated radio… Continue Reading
Rep. Slaughter Reintroduces PAMTA, Criticizes FDA Strategy for Tackling Antibiotic Resistance
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), the only microbiologist in Congress, introduced the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act, or PAMTA, on Thursday for the fourth time since 2007. The bill would ban non-therapeutic uses of medically important antibiotics in food animal production. The announcement comes just two weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and… Continue Reading
House Democrats Call for Hearing on Imminent Antibiotic Resistance Threat
Leading House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats on Thursday called on their Republican counterparts to hold a hearing on “public health risks of increasingly prevalent and dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” after an “urgent warning” was issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week. Committee Ranking Member Henry Waxman (D-CA), Health Subcommittee Ranking Member… Continue Reading
China: Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Found in Pig Manure
Manure from Chinese pig farms contains both antibiotic residues and high concentrations of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics, a new study published Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study adds to evidence that antibiotics used by China’s pork producers pose health risks. The study, led by the Chinese Academy… Continue Reading
Rep. Slaughter on NARMS: “We Are Standing on the Brink of a Public Health Catastrophe”
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) reacted to the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) report this week, calling the increases in certain types of drug resistance among bacteria found on retail meat and ground poultry “alarming.” “We are standing on the brink of a public health catastrophe,” said Rep. Slaughter. “The threat of antibiotic-resistant disease is… Continue Reading
FDA Data: Slight Uptick in Animal Antibiotic Use, Resistance Remains Issue in Meat
The use of antibiotics in food animal production slightly increased and antibiotic resistant bacteria in meat products remained an issue 2011, according to two sets of data released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday. Antimicrobial drug sales data reported to the FDA showed a small uptick over 2010 numbers, up about 2.3… Continue Reading
Antibiotic Resistance: Very Critical to Your and My Health
Opinion
The scientists here at Consumer Reports read Dr. Richard Raymond’s op-ed “Antibiotics and Animals Raised for Food: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics” with great interest. We were particularly struck by his assertion that most antibiotics used in animal production are not used to treat humans and are therefore “not critical to your or my health.”… Continue Reading
Common Ground Exists in Drug Resistance Debate: Response to Pew Op-Ed
Opinion
To some, the ongoing debate over the use of antibiotics in animals raised for food is like the sign post in the Wizard of Oz — pointing in opposite directions. But from reading “Antibiotics in Food Animal Production: Pew’s Response to Raymond Op-Ed,” Jan.11, there is violent agreement between PEW and the animal health industry…. Continue Reading
Center for a Livable Future Response to Raymond Op-Ed
Opinion
This piece is co-authored by Dr. Robert Lawrence and Tyler J. Smith of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. We read Dr. Richard Raymond’s recent article on antibiotic use in food animals with great interest. Dr. Raymond is a physician who has served this country as Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S…. Continue Reading