The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published its fourth annual report on the sales and distribution data of antimicrobial drugs approved for use in food-producing animals.
Additional data tables have been added to this latest 2012 report to provide more detailed information and to improve transparency, and the same tables have also been added to the summary reports for the previous years (2009-2011), reports Bovine Veterinarian.
In summary, the report found:
1) The total quantity of medically important antimicrobials sold or distributed for use in food-producing animals increased by 16 percent.
2) The percentage of domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobials that are approved for production use decreased from 72 percent to 68 percent.
3) The percentage of domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobials approved for use in food-producing animals that are sold over-the-counter did not change appreciably, decreasing from 98 percent to 97 percent.
Click here for links to the full report, a Q&A document from FDA and other Animal Drug User Fee Amendments reports.