On Feb. 15, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a request for public comments about antimicrobial use (AMU) in companion animals (e.g., cats, dogs, horses) and the potential impact of this use on antimicrobial resistance in both animals and people. The FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) intends to use the information collected to help develop strategies to further promote antimicrobial stewardship in companion animals.
Although most of the FDA’s animal antimicrobial stewardship efforts to date have been related to food-producing animals, the FDA recognizes that there is also a need to better understand how the use of antimicrobial drugs to treat companion animals (e.g., dogs, cats, and horses) might contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance in both animals and people. This is in alignment with the One Health philosophy, which recognizes the interconnectedness of the health of people, animals, and the environment.
The FDA announced cooperative agreements to support the collection of data on AMU in dogs and cats and granted awards to two recipients in August 2020. These are intended to be five-year projects to develop and pilot AMU data collection methodologies for companion animal practice. Data collected through these cooperative agreements will help to assess potential associations between antimicrobial resistance and AMU practices in dogs and cats.
This request for comments will provide the FDA with additional context on how the current use of antimicrobials in companion animals affects the development of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens in companion animals and people. It addresses actions outlined in CVM’s five-year plan for supporting antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary settings and will help inform the agency’s broader efforts to slow the development of antimicrobial resistance and preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials in both veterinary and human medicine.
How to Comment:
The FDA is accepting public comments on “Request for Public Input on Antimicrobial Use in Companion Animals for the Center for Veterinary Medicine; Request for Comments” until June 16, 2022. To electronically submit comments to the docket, visit www.regulations.gov and type FDA-2021-N-1305 in the search box. To submit comments to the docket by mail, use the following address. Be sure to include docket number FDA-2021-N-1305 on each page of your written comments.
Dockets Management Staff
HFA-305
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
Posted on 2/18/2022