Health Professionals, Keep Antibiotics Working

Tell the FDA to End the Overuse of Antibiotics on Farms

Health professionals, please sign this letter asking the FDA to take concrete action to safeguard our antibiotic supply. An estimated 70 percent of all antibiotics used in the United States–including penicillins, tetracyclines, erythromycins and other human drugs–are fed to animals that are not sick. From the Institute of Medicine to the CDC, health leaders have raised the alarm that this unnecessary use of antibiotics contributes to the epidemic of costly, painful and sometimes lethal, drug-resistant human infections. 

Despite its own concerns dating back to 1977, the FDA has so far failed to address this urgent public health problem. Its inaction allows important antibiotics to continue to be used inappropriately, such as to promote more rapid growth in animals and to keep them from getting sick in overcrowded conditions. In June, the FDA distributed draft Guidance #209 on this issue, asking for public comment. Once again, Guidance #209 fails to spell out concrete actions.

Please sign the following letter to FDA Commissioner Hamburg, asking for real action on this issue.

If possible, personalize your letter, for the fullest impact. Describe your own concerns or stories about patients who’ve suffered from life-threatening, resistant infections.