272795 Feed-grade antibiotics and assessing risks to the public's health

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 2:35 PM - 2:50 PM

Ron Phillips, MA , Government and Public Affairs, Animal Health Institute, Washington, DC
Responsible use and continued availability of antibiotics to keep food animals healthy are necessary to food safety and public health. Regulatory changes that are underway at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding feed-grade antibiotics promise alignment of all food animal uses around therapeutic claims and involvement of veterinarians in administering these products. This is good news, since the validity of using volume ratios as an indicator of risk is questionable: There is not yet consensus on exact breakdown of consumption by sector (e.g., animal, human, and consumer markets). I will highlight several published risk assessments that demonstrate extremely low levels of risk associated with feed-grade antibiotic use, as research continues to increase our understanding of the benefits of antibiotics used to keep food animals healthy.

Learning Areas:
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Discuss the changing regulatory environment as proposed by the Food and Drug Administration. Analyze what this changing environment means for antibiotic use and animal health. Explain the basis of the volume-use claims being made and the role of use estimates in measuring risk. Assess the published risk assessments on various compounds used in animal health. Describe the research on the food safety benefits of healthy animals.

Keywords: Antimicrobial Drugs, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Ron Phillips is vice president, government and public affairs for the Animal Health Institute and oversees the association’s lobbying, public affairs and media relations efforts. Previously, he served as vice president, public affairs, The Fertilizer Institute, Washington, D.C., where his accomplishments included leading industry’s crisis response following the Oklahoma City disaster. He has worked for the U.S. Feed Grains Council and served as professional staff for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3356.0: Invited Session: From Ranches and Hospitals to the Home: Policy Development for Responsible Antibiotic Use Across the Spectrum