WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday banned the use of a poultry antibiotic made by Bayer, an unprecedented action aimed at preventing the rise of drug-resistant germs that infect people.
The FDA, which first proposed the ban five years ago, said the use of the drug, Baytril, in chickens has made it difficult for doctors to treat human patients with food poisoning. The drug was sometimes used by farmers to treat entire poultry flocks when a few birds showed signs of respiratory disease.
FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford said Baytril "has not been shown to be safe for use in poultry." The ruling, effective Sept. 12, does not affect other approved uses of the drug.
The Union of Concerned Scientists hailed the ruling as a "big victory for public health." Bayer said it was "surprised and disappointed" and mulling whether to appeal the decision in court.
Baytril is part of a family of potent antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones, which physicians consider valuable for treating serious infections in people. The class of drugs includes Cipro, a well-known human antibiotic.
Health officials argue that the widespread use of the drug by livestock farmers was one reason that more germs were becoming resistant to other fluoroquinolones.
Bacteria learn to outsmart antibiotics when repeatedly exposed to the medicines. Humans then pick up drug-resistant bacteria when they eat or handle contaminated meat.
"We are surprised and disappointed with the commissioner's decision," said Bob Walker, spokesman for Bayer's U.S. animal health division. "We will soon make a determination on which course to take next."
Baytril was used in the mid-1990s to treat about 1 percent of the U.S. chicken population, Walker said.
Consumer groups and health experts welcomed the ban.
"It's a big victory for public health in that the FDA has acted to protect the efficacy of human drugs," said Margaret Mellon, food director at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Source For Full Article : http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2005-07-28T213451Z_01_N28391243_RTRIDST_0_SCIENCE-FOOD-ANTIBIOTICS-DC.XML
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