FDA Announces Restrictions On Cephalosporin Use In Farm Animals.

The New York Times  (1/5, A12, Harris, Subscription Publication) reports that the FDA "announced on Wednesday that farmers and ranchers must restrict their use of a critical class of antibiotics," cephalosporins, "in cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys because such practices may have contributed to the growing threat in people of bacterial infections that are resistant to treatment." The medicines "are among the most common antibiotics prescribed to treat pneumonia, strep throat, and skin and urinary tract infections." Michael R. Taylor, deputy commissioner for foods at the FDA, said, "We believe this is an imperative step in preserving the effectiveness of this class of important antimicrobials that takes into account the need to protect the health of both humans and animals."

        The AP  (1/5, Jalonick) reports, "In a statement  on the FDA website, the agency said the announcement is 'among a number of ongoing FDA activities and initiatives intended to address concerns about the use of antimicrobial drugs in animal agriculture.'" These "include increased monitoring and voluntary guidelines for producers on how to use the drugs judiciously."

        The Wall Street Journal  (1/5, Tomson, Subscription Publication) reports the FDA said that in 2010, US farm animals were given roughly 54,000 pounds of cephalosporins, although altogether, the animals consumed more than 29 million pounds of antibiotics.

        The Washington Post  (1/5, Elboghdady) reports, "The antibiotics can no longer be used to prevent diseases in livestock starting April 5, though they can still be used to treat illnesses, the FDA said." Although "consumer advocates support the FDA's decision," they contend that "the move is long overdue and deals with only one small part of a much larger public health issue tied to the overuse of antibiotics in animals."

        The Chicago Tribune  (1/5, Eng) reports that US Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) said, "This is a modest first step by the FDA," although "we're really just looking at the tip of the iceberg. We don't have time for the FDA to ploddingly take half-measures." According to Slaughter, "We are staring at a massive public health threat in the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs."

        The Los Angeles Times  (1/5, Brown) "Booster Shots" blog reports that Slaughter also said, "With over 1 million Salmonella cases in the US each year, at least 30,000 Americans will contract cephalosporin-resistant bacteria every year. I'm glad the FDA is finally acting but how many Americans have needlessly been sickened in the meantime?"

        CQ  (1/5, Ethridge, Subscription Publication) reports, "American Academy of Pediatrics President Robert Block also praised the decision, noting that cephalosporin drugs are often used to treat several serious childhood infections and have no warnings for pediatric use." According to Block, "Pediatricians are already limited in the number and types of antibiotics that we can use to treat ill children, and when one type of antibiotic is found to be resistant to a strain of an infection, some of our sickest young patients are left without life-saving treatment options."

        The National Journal  (1/5, Fox, Subscription Publication) reports, "The comment period on the new order closes on March 6." The agency "first proposed the rule in 2008 and has been tweaking it ever since because of objections from a range of groups."

        Also covering the story are Bloomberg News  (1/5, Peterson, Armour), the Lincoln (NE) Journal Star  (1/5, Hovey), Reuters  (1/5, Yukhananov), HealthDay  (1/5, Preidt), and MedPage Today  (1/5, Walker).