Judge orders FDA to change stance on livestock antibiotics

摘要

In a major victory for health and consumer groups, a federal judge in New York has ordered the US Food and Drug Administration to change its stance on antibiotic use in livestock. In a ruling last week, US judge Theodore Katz, told the agency to withdraw approvals for most non-therapeutic uses of penicillin and tetracyclines in livestock, unless drug manufacturers can prove they are safe. The ruling is the latest step in a regulatory process that began in 1977 when FDA determined that feeding livestock certain antibiotics used in human medicine could promote antibiotic-resistant bacteria capable of infecting people. The agency never moved any further on the issue, prompting from a coalition of advocacy groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Union of Concerned Scientists to launch a court challenge in May of last year.