Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) released the following statement today on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that reveals the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not made sufficient progress to stem the dangers of antibiotic resistant bacteria.   

“The findings of this report are clear: the FDA does not have the tools it needs to prohibit the inappropriate use of antibiotics in livestock production.  The inability to regulate the misuse of these drugs leads to the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria that can be deadly.

“Today I am calling on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to begin consideration of the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act. 

“This legislation gives FDA the tools it needs to quickly review the use of these medications to ensure they have no negative effects on human health.”

Senator Feinstein is the author of S. 1211, “Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act” (PAMTA), legislation to preserve the effectiveness of medically important antibiotics used to treat human and animal bacterial diseases.  Feinstein’s bill will:

• Phase out the non-therapeutic use of medically important antibiotics in livestock;
• Require new applications for animal antibiotics to demonstrate the use of the antibiotic will not endanger public health;
• Not restrict the use of antibiotics to treat sick livestock or to treat pets.

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