PAMTA Update

By Dr. Ashley Shelton, Assistant Director of the GRD

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28th) has requested the Government Accountability Office (GAO) review the status of federal efforts to track and monitor data on antibiotic use in animals and report on their progress in assessing and mitigating the human health risk related to antibiotic use in animals. Specifically, she would like for the study to address the following key areas:

• What data exist on the types and quantities of antibiotics used in food animals and on the purposes for which they are used?
• What further data do USDA, FDA and CDC believe are needed to assess and mitigate the risks to humans from antibiotic use in animals and what efforts are under way or are needed to collect these data?
• To what extent is USDA monitoring food animals and meat for the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogens, such as E. Coli, Campylobacter, Salmonella and Listeria?
• How effectively is FDA overseeing industry compliance with currently approved animal antibiotics and uses for these antibiotics?
• What is FDA's plan and timeframe for re-evaluating the antibiotics (and antibiotic uses) that it has approved for animals?
• What efforts have USDA, FDA and CDC taken to assess the human health risks related to antibiotic use in animals, and what have the assessments shown?

An April 2004 GAO report entitled "Federal Agencies Need to Better Focus Efforts to Address Risk to Humans from Antibiotic Use in Animals" found that certain bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics can be transferred from animals to humans, but that researchers disagree about the extent of harm to human health this transference presents. The report acknowledged that federal agencies had made progress in monitoring antibiotic resistance, but that they lacked important data, such as type, quantity of and purpose for use of antibiotics by species. GAO asserted that this data is needed to determine linkages between use in animals and emerging resistant bacteria and to help assess human health risks. According to the GAO, none of the recommendations from this study were implemented.

Congresswoman Slaughter introduced H.R. 1549, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), in March and held a hearing on the legislation in July. There are 50 co-sponsors of the legislation, which is being considered by the House Energy and Commerce and Rules Committees, of which the Congresswoman is Chair. S. 619, the Senate version of the bill, was also introduced in March by Senator Edward Kennedy (MA). The bill has 4 cosponsors and is being considered by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

We encourage you to join us in telling Congress to vote "NO" on PAMTA. Take action by clicking the link below and entering your zip code. http://avmacan.avma.org/avma/issues/alert/?alertid=13873126

For more information, please contact Dr. Ashley Shelton at ashelton@avma.org.