Food safetyFDA bans use of some antibiotic in animals

Published 5 January 2012

The cephalosporin class of drugs is important in treating human diseases, such as pneumonia, skin and tissue infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, and other conditions; the FDA has just restricted the use of the cephalosporin class of antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals in order to preserve the effectiveness of these drugs in treating humans

On 4 January 2012 the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) issued an order prohibiting certain uses of the cephalosporin class of antimicrobial drugs in food-producing animals.

The FDA’s CVM said it was issuing an order that prohibits the extralabel use of cephalosporin drugs (not including cephapirin) in cattle, swine, chickens, and turkeys. In its order, FDA is prohibiting what are called “extralabel” or unapproved uses of cephalosporins in cattle, swine, chickens and turkeys, the so-called major species of food-producing animals.

The cephalosporin class of drugs is important in treating human diseases, such as pneumonia, skin and tissue infections, pelvic inflammatory disease, and other conditions. The FDA says it is critical to preserve the effectiveness of these drugs.

The FDA is concerned that certain extralabel uses of cephalosporins in cattle, swine, chickens, and turkeys are likely to contribute to cephalosporin-resistant strains of certain bacterial pathogens. If cephalosporins are not effective in treating human diseases from these pathogens, doctors may have to use drugs that are not as effective or that have greater side effects.

The agency is particularly concerned about the extralabel use of cephalosporin drugs that are not approved for use in cattle, swine, chickens, and turkeys because little is known about their microbiological or toxicological effects when used in these food-producing animals.