Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
To Fight Superbugs, FDA Issues Guidelines For Antibiotic Use In Farm Animals
The Wall Street Journal: FDA Clears Way For New Curbs On Antibiotics Given To Farm Animals
The Food and Drug Administration paved the way for new restrictions on antibiotics given to cows, chickens and other farm animals as the Obama administration pursues ways to fight the so-called superbugs that are growing increasingly resistant to infection-fighting drugs. The FDA on Tuesday issued a set of guidelines for veterinarians who will, as of next year, be responsible for prescribing antibiotics for animals destined for the dinner plate—marking a key step in ending the practice of distributing those drugs over the counter. (Tracy and Burton, 6/2)
CQ Healthbeat: White House Antibiotics Forum To Address Risks Of Modern Medicine
The White House on Tuesday held a wide-ranging forum on drug-resistant bacteria, the latest step in a global effort to tackle a growing problem — one that causes 23,000 deaths in the United States alone and has doctors warning of a catastrophic “post-antibiotic” era. The administration announced a number of policy changes Tuesday, including a presidential memorandum urging federal departments to buy meat from sources that limit antibiotics use and a commitment by the presidential food service to use meat that has not been treated with antibiotics. (Gustin, 6/2)
