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News from Keep Antibiotics Working – April 2009 Welcome to latest edition of KAW's newsletter! Those of you closely following the antibiotics in livestock issue know that the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) has been re-introduced in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. We applaud our champions in Congress for introducing such important legislation and look forward to building support for the bill as the year goes on. We ask you to write your representatives today and let them know that antibiotics should not be used as feed and water additives for healthy animals. Take Action! Congress can safeguard antibiotics by passing the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA). This legislation, if passed, will require the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to cancel approvals for the routine use of human antibiotics as a feed additive if the uses are found to be unsafe from a resistance point of view. KAW is working hard to ensure that this legislation continues to get the attention it needs from lawmakers, but we need your help in urging Congress to act as quickly as possible. Please Take Action! today and urge your friends and family to do the same. They can join KAW's action network here. The greater the public demand for action on this issue, the stronger our chances are for passing PAMTA in 2009! FDA Watch: KAW and Allies Demand Action KAW continues to actively engage with the FDA on issues related to antibiotic resistance and animal agriculture. KAW and allied groups have urged Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the new Deputy Commissioner of the FDA, to take three immediate measures to safeguard antibiotics for future generations: 1) Reject the application to approve 4th generation cephalosporins for use in food-producing animals; 2) Reissue the ban on the extra-label use of cephalosporins in food-producing animals; and 3) Make public the findings of the FDA's review of penicillin and other veterinary drugs currently on the market, and take appropriate action on any drugs shown to be unsafe. Want to read the letter in full? You can find it here. Antibiotic Resistance in the News Steve Ells, founder and CEO of Chipotle, weighs in on the antibiotic issue in the Huffington Post. Read his post here. The Los Angeles Times recently has editorialized on animal agriculture and the rise of superbugs. Read the editorial entitled 'A healthy resistance to antibiotics.'
On behalf of KAW, I thank you for your interest and support. Please visit our website to learn about all we are doing to curb the routine use of important antibiotics in animal agriculture. Stay tuned for future developments on these and other issues! Sincerely, Lisa Isenhart KAW Coalition Coordinator |
