NEWS: FDA bans Baytril use in poultry

I wanted to share with you an important victory. Last week—after several years of pressure from the Union of Concerned Scientists and the coalition group Keep Antibiotics Working (KAW)—the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made history by banning the use of the animal-antibiotic Baytril in poultry due to worries about the increase in antibiotic-resistant infections in people.


This action marks the first time the FDA has withdrawn an agricultural antibiotic from the market because of concerns about antibiotic resistance affecting human health. Baytril is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, much like the commonly used human antibiotic Cipro. Cipro is one of the most effective treatments against serious cases of food poisoning and other bacterial infections. Since Baytril’s approval for use in poultry in 1996, strains of foodborne illness resistant to Cipro and similar drugs have increased dramatically. The FDA’s decision to remove Baytril from use in poultry will take effect September 12, 2005.


I want to thank you for your energy and commitment to UCS and this critical issue. Your actions have helped make this important victory for our families’ health possible.


Thank you and best wishes,


Sincerely,

Kevin Knobloch
President