NYT/AP: FDA Bans Use of (antibiotic) Baytril in Poultry

[DeepModem Mom]

FDA Bans Use of Baytril in Poultry
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 28, 2005


WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Food and Drug Administration is banning the use of the antibiotic Baytril in poultry because of concerns the drug could lead to antibiotic-resistant infections in people.

The agency's commissioner, Lester M. Crawford, on Thursday ordered that approval for use of the drug, known generically as enrofloxacin, be withdrawn effective Sept. 12.

Baytril is in the same family as the popular drug Cipro, which is used in humans.

Crawford cited particular concerns about campylobacter bacteria, a growing source of serious illness in humans.

Antibiotics used to treat it can be less effective if the germ has already developed resistance to Baytril, the FDA said....


(NOTE: There's quite a lot of information in the rest of this article, for those interested.)


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Poultry-Antibiotic.html?

[Divernan]

1. Bush's FDA sat on this for Big Pharm for FIVE YEARS! ! !

Read the whole article. "FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine first proposed to pull the drug from use in 2000 but manufacturer Bayer asked for a hearing. Crawford acted after reviewing the results of the hearing."

Same old, same old. Bush-appointed Commissioner Crawford is belatedly taking action 5 years too late. These "results" are not newly discovered. They have just been buried by the FDA until now. The American consumer has been eating chickens and turkeys treated with this dangerous drug since "the 90's" (more crack reporting here - the reporter couldn't find out exactly when the drug was introduced?)

You can bet the farm that someone somewhere has done a study which has uncovered horrendous effects of this drug, and the Bushbots are rushing in to cover their butts by banning the drug.

In the meantime I bet Bayer lobbyists have been paying through the nose to Bush and the GOP to prevent this action to pull the drug. Typically, Big Pharm gives itself enough time to develop and patent a substitute drug for any that are in danger of being pulled by the FDA

[CAcyclist]

3. Baytril Has Been In Veterinary Use

for about 15 years now. In small animals at least. I wouldn't be surprised if the poultry industry has been using it for the whole time, considering my formulary contains directions for use in birds.

The main concern here is that overuse will result in antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria so that Cipro will lose its effectiveness in people, not that Baytril is in and of itself dangerous - (umm, which it kind of is, since about 50% of the people who take Baytril directly have hallucinations or seizures on it, which is why it was never approved for use in humans)

[meganmonkey]

2. OMG It's a miracle!

They did something that is good for people instead of corporations.

Of course, as the above poster said, they did it about 5 years too late, and probably because they calculated that future lawsuits would far exceed profits...

Regardless, it is a good thing that this is getting pulled.

[Eurobabe]

4. yet another reason why I eat organic poultry

the stuff in the store tasted like rubberized garbage. Let's hope they ban antibiotics in other meats as well.