- PDF Version (129K) - Print Friendly - Help

AgVetLink June 2005

Antibiotic Management Update

The ACVM Group has published its annual report on the management of antibiotics to manage antibiotic resistance (see the ACVM Group website for Regulatory Control of Antibiotics to Manage Antibiotic Resistance Annual Report 2004).

New registration conditions

The report notes that all antibiotic product registrations have been updated with new conditions that:

• remove growth promotion as an approved use, unless the active ingredient is not used in human medicine and is not implicated in the development of cross-resistance;

• establish a stratification of limited use and veterinary involvement based on the level of concern about resistance developing for particular active ingredients; and

• impose reporting obligations for active ingredients of concern.

Sales statistics

Total sales of antibiotics have increased but the increase appears to coincide with, and can be explained by, the marked increases in livestock numbers. The 2003 sales statistics and the review of antimicrobial use in the intensive livestock sectors indicate that there is a high level of commitment to the principle of prudent use of antibiotics.

Methodology

A revised methodology for collecting and analysing sales statistics was applied to the 2003 data in an attempt to reduce variations in interpretation and the subjectivity of some of the estimates. The new methodology was applied in retrospect to the 2002 data as well. While some of the statistics differed as a result of this re-examination, the revised totals were not materially different from those reported.

From now on reports will be prepared using this year’s methodology, and reports should begin to show reliable trends as the same collection and analysis protocols are applied to subsequent survey data.

Antibiotic Resistance Expert Panel report

The Antibiotic Resistance Expert Panel has produced a first draft of its report, which was presented to the Steering Group on 3 June 2005. Panel Chair, Dr Peter O’Hara, gave a presentation on the report and answered questions from Steering Group members. 

The report noted that New Zealand regulatory control was consistent with international standards and expectations except in regard to monitoring and surveillance. There were specific monitoring and surveillance recommendations focusing on modifications to existing microbiological surveillance programmes for a start.

The Panel reviewed common antimicrobial use in the pork and poultry industries and found practices to be consistent with international and domestic expectations of prudent use of such products.

There were also preliminary recommendations in regard to the role of an ongoing technical resource to address issues as they arise and provide advice to human and veterinary medicine regulators (i.e. ACVM Group and MedSafe).

It was suggested that the specific technical issues identified in the technical brief to the Expert Panel would be better addressed by that technical resource than by the present Expert Panel, which focused on more general issues.

Final report

Dr O’Hara has asked Steering Group members to take time to consider the report fully and provide comments by 24 June. The final report will be presented to the Steering Group in July and then sent out for peer review.