A global health care coalition has gathered more than 1,000 statements from heath care professionals asking Congress to pass legislation restricting antibiotic use in animal agriculture. Health Care Without Harm announced the support of doctors, nurses, clinicians and hospitals as legislators convene a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing July 14, to consider new legislation on the use of antibiotics in animals.
Concern over antibiotic resistant bacterial infections prompted the signatures. Other Food and Drug Administration attempts to reduce this antibiotic use have not been successful. But earlier this year, Congress introduced the Preservation of Antibiotics for the Medical Treatment Act (HR 1549), which would require the FDA to revisit approvals it has made for animal feed uses of seven classes of antibiotics important to human medicine.
