HEALTH SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE
News Date July 20, 2010
Last week the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health convened a hearing to discuss antibiotic resistance and its potential threat to human health. This hearing followed the introduction of draft guidance released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the intent to reduce the use of subtherapeutic antibiotic use in animals.
The first of two panels consisted of experts from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These experts stated that their agencies had collaborated to create the draft guidance. They based the guidance on evidence such as a World Health Organization study which reported a link between the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture and human resistance to antibiotics.
Many of the committee members believed that careful consideration was required to reach a "peaceful consensus." The draft guidance does not establish regulation, although FDA is seeking comments during the 60-day public comment period. (By: Andrew Kim, Contact: Bob Ehart)