The clock is ticking. Start now to educate producers ahead of this important transition to livestock antibiotics being available by prescription-only status.
The new rule covers injectable tylosin, injectable and intramammary penicillin, injectable and oral tetracycline, sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethazine, and cephapirin and cephapirin benzathine intramammary tubes. Also, the OTC status of the swine antibiotics lincomycin and gentamicin is switching to prescription-only.
The Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine’s plan for supporting veterinary antimicrobial stewardship will be fully implemented in 2023 when all remaining over-the-counter antibiotics are switched to prescription-only status.
Source: The Farmer, August 4, 2022. Link. Under the new rule, producers with a current veterinarian-client-patient relationship may purchase antibiotics directly from their veterinarian or from a distributor with the vet’s prescription.
Also see: Over-the-counter access to antibiotics is going away, AHD, April 12, 2022. Link.
INSIGHTS: Medically important antibiotics in feed and water were removed from OTC channels when the Veterinary Feed Directive was implemented in 2017. The first phase of the VFD regulations did not address OTC antibiotics delivered via other methods such as injectables, boluses and intramammary mastitis tubes.