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News from Keep Antibiotics Working – September 2009 Welcome to latest edition of KAW's newsletter! FDA Watch As we shared in our last edition, the US Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) has publicly supported for the first time the reduction in the routine uses of antibiotics in farm animals. Read the groundbreaking testimony of Joshua Sharfstein, Principal Deputy Commissioner of Food and Drugs, from a July 13th hearing of the House Committee on Rules. Other organizations have joined KAW in calling for support for PAMTA from the Obama Administration, including sustainable agriculture and farmer groups. We continue to press the FDA to take action on the approach to livestock antibiotic use laid out in Dr. Sharfstein's testimony.
KAW joins the nation and the many around the world as we mourn the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy, a man whose vision and tireless determination never ceased in his fight to advance greater equality and better healthcare for all Americans. Please read our statement. Read Ezra Klein's recent column in the Washington Post. Just Say No to Antibacterial Burgers! Representative Slaughter calls on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look into the way that federal officials are monitoring usage of the drugs on farms. Read more about her request. Wayne Pacelle, President of the Humane Society of the United States (a member group of KAW), takes the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) to task for its opposition to PAMTA. Read his post. Take Action! While the FDA wants to reduce unnecessary uses of antibiotics on farms, the agency faces extreme opposition and pressure from agribusiness. That is why we support the enactment of supporting legislation. 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. We urge you to contact your representatives about this issue and make your voice heard. Please Take Action! today if you have not done so already. If you want to learn more about the issue of antibiotic resistance, please visit our website. There you can catch up on the latest media coverage and learn about all we are doing to curb the routine use of medically important antibiotics in animal agriculture. Thanks again for your continued support and interest! Sincerely, Lisa Isenhart KAW Coalition Coordinator |
