New Animal Drug User Fee Act dissapoints health advocates

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released its new Animal Drug User Fee Act in advance on Wednesday’s vote. The act does not include language to strengthen FDA’s annual reporting of antibiotic sales for use on industrial farms. Laura Rogers of the Pew Charitable Trusts expressed disappointment, saying, “Antiobiotic overuse in meat and poultry production is breeding superbugs that threaten human health, but we have no information that reveals in which animals and for which purposes these drugs are administered so widely.” Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) support efforts to mandate the disclosure of more information regarding antibiotics.