FDA bans Bayer antibiotic for poultry use
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday banned the use of Baytril, 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 Baytril in chickens has made it difficult for doctors to treat human patients who have 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 September 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 bacteria were becoming resistant to other fluoroquinolones.
Bacteria learn to outsmart antibiotics when repeatedly exposed to the medicines. Humans may 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.
The ban is the first time the FDA has withdrawn an antibiotic drug for animals because of a concern about its impact on human use, she said.
Mellon said she hoped this would be the first of many poultry drugs to be taken off the market because of concerns about antibiotic resistance.
Bayer said sales of Baytril do not represent a major part of the company’s revenue.
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