Commission consults on using antimicrobials only in people

Regulator has proposed prohibiting use of certain drugs in animals to combat antimicrobial resistance

A consultation on reserving certain antimicrobial drugs for use only in people has been opened by the European Commission, as the EU seeks to balance the benefits of using such drugs in animals against the need to preserve their effectiveness in humans.

The European Medicines Agency has proposed prohibiting the use of 37 antimicrobials or groups of antimicrobials in animals to combat resistance to them—the ability of disease-causing micro-organisms to evolve an increasing tolerance of such drugs, rather than being killed by them.