VPC Report on Antibiotic Resistance - antibiotics for animals "essential"

"Antimicrobials are essential drugs for the treatment and prevention of disease. They help reduce animal suffering and contribute to the production of healthy food". This statement from the Veterinary Products Committee underpinned its new report on antimicrobial resistance in relation to veterinary medicines, published on 13 February. Moreover, the report acknowledges that "given the available evidence, treatment failure in human medicine is more likely to arise from sub-optimal antimicrobial use in humans."

Welcoming many aspects of the report, the National Office of Animal Health was pleased the report recognised the already stringent controls on the approval of antibiotics and their maintenance on the market, and the work being done to ensure they continue to be used responsibly. For example, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, in its response to the Report, highlighted the Government's active support for the RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture) Alliance's guidelines for the responsible use of antibiotics.

The Government will be looking at the Report, and the comments from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, before announcing its response. NOAH are reassured that the report validates the long held opinion of the animal medicines industry, that the real cause of antibiotic resistance is not with excessive or inappropriate use in animals.

"Nevertheless", said NOAH's chief executive Phil Sketchley, "We acknowledge that, even though animal antibiotics are not the major issue for human medicine problems, we still have a big part to play in ensuring they remain effective to protect both humans and animals. However, we believe that the fundamental background to this report: that animal antibiotics are essential and are not causing problems for human medicine, needs to be the key to the Government's response. As the report itself says, 'The requirements for the provision of data in support of a licence claim must not be so stringent as to prevent the authorisation of potentially useful products'. Veterinary surgeons must not miss out on potentially life-saving new treatments for British animals, because of any further tightening of licensing requirements and further unnecessary restrictions on their use". He added that it was a futile exercise to burden British vets and farmers further, when meat can be imported from areas where no such controls on antibiotic use exist - exposing unwitting consumers of the produce to potential risk.

The animal health industry, through its global federation IFAH and through NOAH in the UK, looks forward to continuing to work with the regulators, colleagues in the food chain and the medical profession, to ensure antibiotics can continue to provide excellent service to animal welfare and to the production of healthy, safe food from healthy animals, with no compromise to human health.

24 February 2003

Notes for Editors

For further information contact Phil Sketchley or Alison Glennon at NOAH, tel. +44 (0)20 8367 3131, or visit the NOAH website.
The National Office of Animal Health was formed on 1 January 1986 to represent the UK companies which research, develop, manufacture and market licensed animal health products. The association has 36 corporate members and 13 associate members. In 2001 NOAH's members accounted for around 95% of the £359 million UK animal health market, with additional valuable exports.
The Veterinary Products Committee (VPC) was established in 1970 under Section 4 of the Medicines Act 1968 with the following Terms of Reference - " To give advice with respect to safety, quality and efficacy in relation to the veterinary use of any substance or article (not being an instrument, apparatus or appliance) to which any provision of the Medicines Act is applicable. " To promote the collection of information relating to suspected adverse reactions for the purpose of enabling such advice to be given.
The report is available on the VPC website http://www.vpc.gov.uk