Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, is featuring comments from the associate professor in the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine and certified veterinary pharmacologist, Brian Lubbers. Lubbers discusses the upcoming June 11th FDA regulation changes for antimicrobials.
On June 11, Lubbers said the FDA is moving the remaining over-the-counter antimicrobial human medically important medical products to a prescription-only status.
“Two or three years ago now, I think it was, the veterinary feed directive went fully into place, so any antimicrobials that go through the feed, those required a veterinary feed directive,” Lubbers said. “Many of the injectable antimicrobial products that we use have already been prescription status, and so these are kind of that last percentage, and ten percent might actually be a high number.”
Some of the products moving to prescription-only, Lubbers added, include injectable penicillin products, some injectable tetracycline products, and a few oral sulfa products.
“The things that you can pick up at a farm and feed store that were labeled over the counter, the FDA is requiring or asking those manufacturers to move them from an over-the-counter status to a prescription status just like all the other injectable products that we currently use,” Lubbers said.
Because the FDA has been working on implementing these regulations for a while, Lubbers said this should not blindside anyone in the livestock industry.
“This is one area that was part of their kind of longer-term plan to make sure that when we are using antimicrobials in veterinary medicine, that we are doing it in a judicious manner,” Lubbers said.
While many view more regulations as a negative, Lubbers said there may be some situations where having that oversight by a veterinarian can benefit the producer.
“You still are going to have the cost of an antimicrobial, but it might be you are using one that is more effective, and you get a better outcome,” Lubbers said.
Lubbers suggests producers develop a good relationship with their veterinarian, so these discussions are easier when the time comes.
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