The pharmaceutical industry voluntarily agreed to eliminate animal uses of some classes of antibiotics to reduce the likelihood that resistant bacteria develop and threaten human health. There are several classes of antibiotics that are used in both humans and livestock production. There is some probability that the continued use of these antibiotics to improve performance of livestock would have sped up resistance in bacteria that infect people. Indeed, cases of individuals being colonized by antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains have been documented. These strains are believed to have originated in livestock and the colonized individuals often have been in contact with livestock. So, there are reasons to be concerned about the potential for impacting human health.

The annual report on the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) shows that, since 2011, European countries have substantially reduced sales of antibiotics for animals. According to data from 25 countries that continuously provided input for the full 2011-2021 period, overall sales of veterinary antibiotics decreased by 47% in this interval, reaching the lowest value ever reported.

Sales of antibiotic classes considered critically important in human medicine also decreased noticeably between 2011 and 2021 and accounted for only 5.5% of total sales in 2021. Sales of third and fourth generation cephalosporins dropped by 38%, polymyxins by 80%, fluoroquinolones by 14% and sales of other quinolones dropped by 83%. These antibiotics should be used prudently and responsibly to preserve their effectiveness and mitigate the potential risk to public health, as indicated in the Antimicrobial Advice ad hoc Expert Group (AMEG) categorization.

“The positive results reflect the efforts of veterinarians, farmers, and the pharmaceutical industry to reduce the use of antibiotics to prevent antimicrobial resistance. It also shows that European Union (EU) policy initiatives and national campaigns promoting prudent use of antibiotics in animals are having a positive impact,” said Ivo Claassen, Head of EMA’s Veterinary Medicines Division. 

This ESVAC report includes, for the first time, information on the progress made towards the European Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy target to reduce the sale of antimicrobials for farmed animals and aquaculture in the EU. In only three years, between 2018 and 2021, the 27 EU Member States have already achieved a 18% reduction, approximately one third of the 50% reduction target set for 2030.1

Read more here.

References

  • Sales of antibiotics for animal use have almost halved between 2011-2021. (2022, November 18). European Medicines Agency. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/sales-antibiotics-animal-use-have-almost-halved-between-2011-2021

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