Colistin
and tigecycline should not be approved for use in animals
A medicine
used by veterinarians for more than 50 years should be restricted, according to
European medical experts, amid fears that overuse of antibiotics in animals
could create health risks for humans.
The
European Medicines Agency (EMA) says there is “no available evidence” on
resistance to the antibiotic colistin transferring from animals to humans.
However, it says, there is little evidence of any kind available. In advice
published today the agency says that colistin should still remain available to
veterinarians, but restricted to infected animals or animals in contact with
infections, with prophylactic use banned.
A decision
on such restrictions now rests with the European Commission. Prophylactic use
of antibiotics on farms has become a controversial issue. Although the practice
is widespread, some scientists believe unfettered use promotes resistance to
antibiotics that can spread to threaten human health.
The EMA
also says there is no reason another antibiotic called tigecycline should be
approved for use in animals. Both colistin and tigecycline are essential treatments
in human medicine, where they are used against bacteria resistant to many
first-line treatments.
The United
States has tried to restrict the use of antibiotics on farms, and the European
Union has banned their use in promoting growth (see ‘Get pigs off antibiotics‘).
The EMA
recommendation is ‘the precautionary approach’, and is laudable,” says Laura
Piddock, a microbiologist at the University of Birmingham, UK, and director of
Antibiotic Action, which campaigns for the development of new antibiotics. “The
reality is that we should question the use of any antibacterial agent outside
of human medicine and until there is unequivocal evidence showing no effect of
animal use upon human health. Colistin should be restricted as recommended by
the EMA.
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