FDA reports 33% drop in antibiotic use

Domestic sales and distribution of all medically important antibiotics for use in food-producing animals dropped 33 percent between 2016 and 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in its “2017 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals.” Additionally, domestic sales and distribution of all medically important antibiotics fell 41 percent since 2015, a peak year of sales and distribution, and declined 28 percent since 2009, the first year of reported sales. The sales and distribution data doesn’t reflect actual antibiotic use, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb noted.